Will Kangana Ranaut be BJP’s star campaigner for Bihar elections? Devendra Fadnavis’ response

Fadnavis’ clarification came after several media reports speculated that Ranaut, who is seen as a vocal supporter of the BJP, might campaign for the ruling coalition government in Bihar in assembly elections.

Key Highlights

• Ranaut has been locked in a bitter tussle with Maharashtra’s ruling Shiv Sena

• BJP, the main opposition party in Maharashtra, has come out in support of the actress

• The Home Ministry also provided Y-plus security cover to Ranaut

Gaya: Senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, who has been tasked with overseeing party’s elections campaign in Bihar, has brushed off speculations that the ruling NDA may field actress Kangana Ranaut as one of its star campaigners for the Assembly polls in the state.

The former Maharashtra chief minister said that the NDA does not need any other star campaigner as it has Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"We need no other star campaigner as the NDA has, in Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the biggest star campaigner," Fadnavis, who has been appointed as the BJP's election in- charge in the state, said.

Fadnavis’ clarification came after several media reports speculated that Ranaut, who is seen as a vocal supporter of the BJP, might campaign for the ruling coalition government in Bihar in the Assembly elections due in October- November.

"We need no other star campaigner as the NDA has, in Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the biggest star campaigner," Fadnavis, who has been appointed as the BJP's election in- charge in the state, told reporters here.

He also hit out at Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, saying that the Shiv Sena chief seemed to be "more interested in fighting Kangana than battling coronavirus".

Ranaut vs Shiv Sena

Ranaut has been locked in a bitter tussle with Maharashtra’s ruling Shiv Sena over her tweets criticising the state government over the death of Patna-born actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

BJP, the main opposition party in Maharashtra, has come out in support of the actress and slammed the Uddhav Thackeray government for allegedly targetting her.

The Home Ministry also provided Y-plus security cover to Ranaut after she said that she would expose Bollywood drugs nexus, a move evoked sharp reactions from the Shiv Sena.

The death of the Patna-born actor has become a sentimental issue for the people of Bihar in particular and could become an election issue during poll campaign.

The governments of Maharashtra and Bihar have also been at loggerheads after the late actor's father lodged a complaint at a Patna police station accusing actress Rhea Chakraborty and others of cheating and abetting his son's suicide.