Kangana Ranaut is sure. And says so is everybody else about Prime Minister Narendra Modi returning to power for a third straight term.
“It has not happened in the history of our democracy where polling is underway, votes are yet to be counted, yet everybody knows PM Modi is coming back… Everyone is waiting for him to take oath for the third time, Ms Ranaut, BJP candidate from Mandi, told NDTV on Tuesday.
PM Modi, accompanied by a galaxy of leaders from party and alliance partners, filed his nomination from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh earlier today.
Varanasi will vote in the seventh and final phase of this election – on June 1. In the 2019 poll, PM Modi won by nearly 4.8 lakh votes, a big jump from the 3.72 lakh winning margin five years earlier.
Ms Ranaut, BJP candidate from Mandi, also filed her nomination today. Downplaying her nomination on the same day as the Prime Minister’s, she called it a “small coincidence” and a “good omen” for her.
“There were two good muhurat days, depending on your chart. I was suggested 10 and 14, and I chose 14 because I am number 5. And I thought I should go with number 5. Luckily, today our PM also filed his nomination. A good coincidence for me. I will say it is my lucky charm. I am thrilled. Even if it’s a small coincidence, it’s a good omen for me,” said the actor, making her electoral debut.
The Mandi constituency holds symbolic significance for the Congress, as it is considered a bastion of the Virbhadra family.
Ms Ranaut will square off against Congress’ Vikramaditya Singh, the son of late former chief minister Virbhadra Singh.
“I have been fortunate to have a very successful film career. Probably, I am the only one to have come from a rural area and make it so big in the film industry. I am quite optimistic that I learn the job pretty soon and will be able to do something significant,” she said about her priorities.
“Sabka saath, sabka vikas is our agenda. From airport to railways to coonnectivity…going to work on overall development,” she added.
The BJP, which won all four Lok Sabha constituencies in the state in the 2019 elections, is eyeing an encore this time.
