Lucknow, June 29 The BJP in Parliament has a great deal of star power with the likes of Smriti Irani and Hema Malini on the treasury benches but the ruling party now also has the top names of the Bhojpuri film industry in its fold.
After Manoj Tiwari and Ravi Kishan, both of whom are MPs, it is the third superstar of Bhojpuri films - Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirahua - who has won the parliamentary election from Azamgarh to complete the trio.
What makes the presence of the three stars in Parliament interesting is that they have been known as arch rivals in films but are now on the same page in politics.
The rivalry of the stars, especially Ravi Kishan and Manoj Tiwari, has acquired legendary proportions.
The two came together a few months ago on 'The Kapil Sharma Show' and made no bones about their twisted relationship.
Ravi Kishan admitted: "We were arch rivals and there was fierce competition between us. Due to rivalry, we hardly spoke to each other but were extremely cordial at social functions. I was constantly checking out how his film faired at the box office and vice versa. It was more about checking who is doing better."
He further said: "There were many people around me who used to influence me wrongly and therefore I could never be friends with Manoj. But, thankfully, all of that is past now, and we are good friends and there is no rivalry now."
Manoj Tiwari, on his part, recalled several interesting incidents of their rivalry on the show.
Over the years, Ravi Kishan made his mark in character roles in Hindi and South Indian cinema while Manoj Tiwari consolidated his position as a singer-actor in the Hindi heartland.
Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirahua, meanwhile, found pan-India acceptance with his stint in 'Bigg Boss' show. Known for his sober nature, he steered clear of controversies that the show is known for and endeared himself to viewers.
The BJP completed the trio by roping in Nirahua to contest the Azamgarh Lok Sabha elections from Azamgarh in 2019. Though he lost to Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, he decided that he was here to stay in the field of politics.
"I was preparing to contest again and wrapped up over 12 films in the past two years so that I could devote more time to Azamgarh," he said.
Nirahua, incidentally, is now set to be the BJP's Yadav face and all set to counter the Yadav clan of the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh and also in Bihar where Bhojpuri films are extremely popular.
Incidentally, Ravi Kishan, Manoj Tiwari and Nirahua have starred together in a Bhojpuri film 'Ganga Jamuna Saraswati' released in 2013.
Nirahua terms Manoj Tiwari and Ravi Kishan his seniors and even thanked them for their support after his victory.
The BJP is also aware of the star power of these three and knows that they are assets in the eastern UP and Bihar.
As Ravi Kishan said: "Bhojpuri samaj consists of some 25 crore people and also contributes to electing the government of the country. We have come from humble backgrounds and the BJP has given us recognition. Other parties ignored us."
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