Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi are likely to campaign for Kanhaiya Kumar | The Youth report

The guest list of CPI candidate, Kanhaiya Kumar, on April 9, when he applies his nomination papers for the Begusarai Lok Sabha seat, appears to be a star-studded one, with Bollywood celebrities likely to attend the jamboree.

Leading the pack in what promises to be Kanhaiya’s show of solidarity, could be the popular Bollywood couple of Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi.

Credits: HT Photo

The poet, lyricist, screenwriter and recipient of the Padma and the Sahitya Akademi awards, and his wife, a film, TV and theatre actress, are yet to confirm their participation.

“We expect them (Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar) to come either for the April 9 show or even later, when the campaigning peaks,” said Prince Kumar, younger brother of Kanhaiya.

Swara Bhaskar, who hogged the limelight with her supporting role of a bride-to-be in the commercially successful romantic comedy film entertainer Tanu Weds Manu (2011), is also likely to attend Kanhaiya’s nomination, claimed Prince.

Gurmehar Kaur who is a student activist and author, and Shehla Rashid Shora, a politician and Ph.D. student at JNU, Delhi, also feature in the tentative guest list.

Prakash Raj, a multilingual film actor, film director, thespian and politician, filed a nomination as an independent candidate for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2019. He filed his nomination from Bengaluru Central constituency accompanied by scores of supporters fans and media persons. “Among those certain to be here on the day of nomination are Hardik Patel and Jignesh Mevani,” said Prince.

While Hardik led the Patidar reservation agitation before becoming a Congress entrant, Jignesh, a social activist and lawyer, is a legislator from the Vadgam constituency in Gujarat.

Extending solidarity with Kanhaiya could also be Rohit Chakravarti Vermula’s mother. A Ph.D student at the University of Hyderabad, who took on the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad over the screening of a documentary “Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hai” at Delhi University, Vermula spoke loudly for a casteless society before ending her life.

Najeeb Ahmed’s mother, the JNU student who went missing under doubtful circumstances, is also expected.

(Originally published by Hindustan Times)