Mumbai: Political parties often capitalise on the popularity of film stars to draw crowds and sway voters. Many actors are directly associated with specific parties and appear on campaign stages, with some even designated as star campaigners. The appeal of famous actors and their iconic movie dialogues plays a crucial role in capturing voter attention. However, the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique and threats from the Bishnoi Gang to Bollywood stars like Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan have led major actors to distance themselves from election campaigns in Mumbai and across the state. As a result, there was a surge in demand for Marathi and South Indian stars at campaign rallies.

Impact of the Bishnoi Gang

In the past, Bollywood stars like Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan frequently attended rallies for political figures such as Baba Siddique, whose connections with film stars helped boost his political influence. However, following Siddique’s murder, attributed to the Bishnoi Gang, and the subsequent threats to Salman and Shah Rukh Khan, the landscape has shifted. Salman Khan’s residence has even been targeted. Meanwhile, actors like Riteish Deshmukh are actively supporting the campaign in Latur, where his brothers are contesting elections.

South Indian Stars For Specific Regions

In districts like Chandrapur and Nanded, which border Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the BJP used Telugu actor Pawan Kalyan to attract Telugu-speaking voters. Kalyan, currently Andhra Pradesh’s Deputy Chief Minister, appeared in regions like Ballarpur to support BJP candidates.

Social Media Campaigns

All parties have intensified their online campaigns, utilising social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Celebrities were creating videos endorsing candidates, which were widely circulated to maximise outreach. While actors demand higher fees for physical campaign appearances, social media endorsements are relatively less expensive, according to sources.

Fee Structure For Artists

The rising demand for celebrities has led to an increase in their fees. Marathi stars charge between Rs 50,000-5 lakh per campaign, while Bollywood stars demand higher sums. Actors from popular TV shows like Chala Hawa Yeu Dya and Maharashtrachi Hasya Jatra are particularly sought after. Depending on the event scale and location, some actors charge Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh per day, while top-tier Bollywood stars command Rs 20-35 lakh.

Conditions Imposed By Actors

Actors often set conditions for their participation, such as refraining from delivering politically inclined speeches. Some join campaigns due to personal relationships, regardless of ideological differences, but advance payment remains a nonnegotiable clause for most.

Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Election 2024 is just around the corner. All eyes are on the big fight between the ruling Mahayuti, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde (Shiv Sena – Shinde) alongwith Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis (BJP), Ajit Pawar (NCP), and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) led by Sharad Pawar (NCP-Sharad Pawar) and Uddhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena-UBT). Andheri East Assembly constituency is one of the key constituencies everyone has their eyes on. Andheri East assembly constituency falls in Mumbai North West Lok Sabha constituency.

Andheri East assembly constituency is one of the 288 seats from the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly up for grabs. The constituency, designated by number 166, falls in Mumbai Suburban District. Andheri East, the general category constituency, is currently represented in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly by Shiv Sena’s Ramesh Latke.

In Maharashtra Legislative Assembly 2019 elections, Ramesh Latke defeated Independent candidate Murji Patel by 16,965 votes. Latke got 62773 votes while Patel got 45808 votes.

Ramesh Latke, has been representing the constituency since 2014.

Andheri West Legislative Assembly Constituency:

As per Election Commission of India, there are 2,88,150 voters in Andheri East constituency

Current situation in Maharashtra assembly:

Currently, the ruling disposition in Maharashtra has 202 MLAs with it. Out of these, BJP has 102 seats, NCP (Ajit Pawar) has 40, Shiv Sena (Shinde) has 38 and other parties have 24.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has 69 seats in its kitty. Out of these, Congress has 37, Shiv Sena (UBT) has 16, NCP (Sharad Pawar) has 12 while other parties have six seats. Fifteen seats are vacant.

Nagpur: With only 24 hours left for the end of public campaign for the state assembly elections, the super Sunday saw both the BJP-led Mahayuti and the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi making the last hurrah to woo the voters in Vidarbha, especially its gateway Nagpur. Both the rival combinations are focussing on Vidarbha from where they are contesting maximum seats.

The Congress move to hold a Priyanka Gandhi Vadra roadshow around Badkas Chowk in the Mahal where the RSS is headquartered, saw very tense moments as the BJP workers waiving party flags came in direct confrontation with Congress workers waiving tricolour flag.  The Priyanka show in the city was a big draw as compared to the BJP MP Kangana Ranaut’s who drew modest crowds.

Both the roadshows were clearly moves by the two combinations to further consolidate the process of polarisation of voters—on the caste lines by the MVA and on grounds of religion by the BJP. The Congress chose to put on display a waving, smiling Priyanka first in West Nagpur constituency’s Muslim dominated areas. Starting from Awasthi Nagar the Congress juggernaut moved through Zafar Nagar to Ahbab Colony. She then moved on to Badkas Chowk, citadel of the RSS.

Earlier in the day, Priyanka  first reached Wadsa in Gadchiroli district to campaign for the party candidates. The tribal district in last two years has witnessed great strides in mining sector and steel manufacturing for the first time despite stiff opposition from the Naxalite movement active in the district.

Addressing a large poll rally, Priyanka said the Congress and her great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru brought development setting up large public sector factories across the nation in without bias towards any one state. “ Sadly, the Modi government at the Centre is diverting from Maharashtra big investments like microchip plant . Investment worth Ra 10 lakh crore which could have provided 8 lakh jobs to Maharashtra’s youth has been deprived to the state, “ she claimed.

Priyanka arrived  for Nagpur about an hour behind schedule, yet was greeted by large and enthusiastic crowds  that a Gandhi family member always draws here. Her mother was here back in 2004. Now the daughter has stolen the show in a maiden act here. The Kangna Ranaut show was a much low- key affair.

On the other hand, a decked-up Kangana used her film star glamour quotient to woo the voters in Nagpur Central areas in the morning and then moved on to West Nagpur in the afternoon where she travelled between Law College square and Bajaj Nagar inhabited by a cosmopolitan mix. But it was peaceful.

The polarisation process that started with Narendra Modi’s call for ‘Ek hai to safe hai’ call and UP CM Yogi Adityanath’s slogan of ‘Batenge to katenge’ was also completed with the BJP- RSS coming into action aggressively invoking “dharma yudha’ and ‘dharma-hit’ to neutralise the MVA narratives. The call for ‘vote jihad’ by Islamic scholar Maulana Khalilur Rehman Sajjad Nomani and fatwas to vote for the MVA and boycott those who failed to do so, could prove counter- productive for the MVA as it made no effort to distance from it.

On the other, a clear RSS hand was visible when the small (6 cm by 9 cm) voter slip dropped at voters doorsteps gave a loud and clear message to vote 100 % in “Rashtra-hit and Dharma-hit” (to protect nation and the religion).