Not a seasoned politician, contesting to complete my dream for Mathura: Hema Malini
The Hindu
She said people in Mathura would vote for a “combination of both” -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and her.
People in Mathura will be voting for a combination of Narendra Modi and Hema Malini, says the actor-dancer who has stepped into the heat and dust of campaigning for a third successive term as Lok Sabha MP and doesn’t consider herself a seasoned politician just yet.
Describing herself as a Krishna devotee whose dream for her constituency, which includes Vrindavan, is still incomplete, she said she asked the BJP for a ticket so she could finish the work that remains pending.
“I am not a seasoned politician but being in this position I can do the things I want. I am a devotee of Lord Krishna and I would not have contested if it was not Mathura. I am here because Lord Krishna wants me to do some seva. I did not want to jump into politics but I think it is divine intervention,” the 75-year-old told PTI in an exclusive interview.
Recalling how worried she was to see conditions in the area, Ms. Malini said she was grateful to the BJP for giving her a ticket for a third time.
“I have done a lot of work and I want to do much more work for what my dream is. If half of that is done, I will be very satisfied,” said the veteran actor for whom the BJP made a rare exception and bypassed its unwritten rule of a cut-off age of 75 for a ticket.
Confident of victory in the Jat dominated seat, she is certain her status as a 'Jat bahu', courtesy her marriage to fellow Bollywood star Dharmendra Deol, a Jat Sikh, will help as will the fact that Jat leader Jayant Chaudhary is now in the NDA fold.
“Looks like a one-sided election but still we have to work hard to get the maximum number of votes. I am a Jat bahu and all the Jats love me a lot. I am a Brahmin also,” she said discussing her chances from the constituency where Lord Krishna is the constant sub-text. It is home to the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple and also where Lord Krishna is believed to have grown up.
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