Actor Kangana Ranaut to contest Lok Sabha elections on BJP ticket from Mandi in Himachal

Actor Kangana Ranaut is set to make her debut in politics. The actress will contest in the forthcoming Lok Sabha election from Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi on the Bharatiya Janata Party’s ticket.

On Sunday (Mar24), Kangana's name was announced in BJP's fifth list of candidates for the Lok Sabha election. Soon after the announcement, the Tanu Weds Manu actress expressed her gratitude saying that she's ''honoured'' toofficially join the party.

In a post shared on X, Kangana wrote, "My beloved Bharat and Bharatiya Janata’s own party, Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) has always had my unconditional support, today the national leadership of BJP has announced me as their Lok Sabha candidate from my birthplace Himachal Pradesh, Mandi (constituency) I abide by the high command’s decision on contesting Lok Sabha polls. I feel honoured and elated to officially join the party. I look forward to be a worthy karyakarta and a reliable public servant. Thanks."

Kangana has been a vocal supporter of the ruling party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Over the years, the renowned Bollywood actress has never shied away from showing her support to the political party and putting her views forward on several political matters.

TheQueen actress has several times teased that she may step into the political world soon. In an interview with Indian news channel TV9 Bharatvarsh, the actress said that in February 2024, ''it's the right time'' for her to join politics.

"I have literally fought from film sets with political parties. That doesn't keep me away, it doesn't take me a seat to do what I want to do for my country. But, if I want to get into politics, I probably think this is the right time," she said.

Family background

Born in Bhambla, a small town in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, Kangana comes from a middle-class family.

Her father, Amardeep Ranaut, is a businessman. Whileher motherAsha Ranautis a school teacher. If we take a look at her family history, her grandfather was an IAS officer, andher great-grandfather, Sarju Singh Ranaut, was a Member of the Legislative Assembly.

Kangana's career trajectory

Kangana has established her name as one of the finest and most versatile actresses of Indian cinema. Coming from a small town, the actress started her work at the young age of 16 when she left her parent's house and moved to Delhi and started working as a model. After years of struggle, she got her first break in acting at the age of 19 with Anurag Basu’s Gangster.

In her career spanning two decades, the actress has garnered immense praise for her prolific work in movies likeWoh Lamhe (2006), Life in a Metro (2007) Fashion (2008), Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010), Tanu Weds Manu (2011), Queen (2014).

She's the recipient of several prestigious awards including four National Film Awards, and five Filmfare Awards among others. In 2020, she was honoured with the Padma Shri, the country's fourth-highest civilian award.