The Bharatiya Janata Party has chosen TikTok sensation and TV star Sonali Phogat for the Jat-dominated Adampur elections in Haryana. Ms Phogat, who has over 1 lakh supporters on the video-sharing application, will participate against Congress MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi, who is the son of three-time chief minister Bhajan Lal.
On TikTok, Ms Phogat frequently uploads the videos of her lip-syncing for Bollywood tunes. Her new videos are viral on the social media.so, BJP has roped in Phogat to contest her in the elections.
While she has many supporters online, participating in the election campaign on Congress turf will be a new difficulty for the apprentice activist.
Adampur constituency, resided along the Haryana-Rajasthan boundary, is controlled by the Bishnoi family.
Bhajan Lal has acquired the Adampur seat eight times since 1969. His partner, Jasma Devi, and son Kuldeep Bishnoi acquired the seat once respectively in 1987 and 1998.
Mr Bishnoi’s Gurgaon resort worth Rs. 150 crore was seized by the Income Tax department in August as a benami asset. His wife Renuka Bishnoi symbolizes the Hansi seat in the state Assembly, but has been rejected the Congress candidate this year.
The pair had won the 2014 Assembly polls as the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) competitors. The party was later united with the Congress in 2016.
Their son, Bhavya Bishnoi, had unsuccessfully participated in the Lok Sabha polls from the Hisar congressional seat as a Congress campaigner.
Polls to the 90-member Haryana Assembly will take place on October 21 and results will be announced on October 24.
