Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 6

Actor Anupam Kher’s first day of campaigning for his wife MP Kirron Kher was seemingly unwelcoming for him as his very first two scheduled events could not be held in the city today.

The first public meeting was to be held in a residential area of Sector 28-C at 4 pm. However, it had to be cancelled at the last minute with no information even to many party leaders and the media.

Mannu Bhasin, one of the organisers, said they had to get tents from the party office but did not get those in time. Sources said since the party could not gather crowd, which was another reason for the meeting having been called off. The party was in for another embarrassment when the actor had to drive back from the inner market of Sector 35-C without attending a ‘jan sabha’ as arrangements were not made at the scheduled time (5 pm) of the event.

Anupam rolled down a windowpane of his car only to see no crowd or tent there. He left and did not return.

The function though later began after 6 pm. Councillor Heera Negi was asked to address the gathering of about 50 people.

As per the party schedule, 200 persons were supposed to be there. However, arranging crowd proved an uphill task for the organisers. Priti Verma, an organiser, blamed it on not getting tents from the party office in time.

Satinder Singh, co-convener, BJP election committee, said, “It was nothing but mismanagement and communication gap which spoiled the events.” A BJP leader claimed that some issues were cropping up as there were two power houses in the local party — MP Kirron Kher and city BJP chief Sanjay Tandon. Things were being managed at two levels, the leader added.

Meanwhile, Anupam held a roadshow at Ram Darbar. People gathered in large numbers to have a glimpse of their favourite star. While some also sought his autograph, a few were lucky enough to get a selfie with him.

In his address, the actor said people were excited to create a history by repeating the Modi government at the Centre. He also urged people to vote for Kirron as she worked a lot towards development of the city. Later, he met residents of Sector 19 and 15.

Actor Skips sec 35 event

The actor had to drive back from the inner market of Sector 35-C without attending a ‘jan sabha’ as arrangements were not made at the scheduled time (5 pm) of the event. Anupam rolled down a windowpane of his car only to see no crowd or tent there. He left and did not return.

Modi in city on May 13

Chandigarh: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in the city on May 13. Sources confirmed he would address a ‘jan sabha’ in favour of MP Kirron Kher. The local unit of the party is hopeful that after Modi’s visit, Kirron’s chance of winning the city seat will significantly rise. “Earlier, there were doubts over his visit due to his packed schedule,” said a senior BJP leader.Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who was earlier expected to visit the city, will not be coming. Actor Anil Kapoor is also expected to campaign for the celebrity-turned politician.