Amravati (Maharashtra), April 26 (IANS): Actress-turned-politician BJP candidate for Amravati (SC) Lok Sabha constituency, Navneet Kaur-Rana knows how to grab eyeballs, not just inside dark cinemas but also in broad daylight.
As the much-awaited E-day dawned, Navneet, 38 – sporting a dazzling golden-orange sari with small designs - decided to do something different while stepping out to vote on Friday morning.
In the 39 degrees Celsius fiery heat, she discarded her cool comfy car and hopped onto her independent MLA husband Ravi Gangadhar Rana’s Bullet motorcycle as a pillion rider to cast her vote, but minus the protective helmets.
With her husband acting as the ‘driver’, Navneet happily perched pillion behind him while her retinue of supporters and excited media crews followed suit on their own motorcycles, and she indulged in some straight talk, unmindful of the blazing sun.
Navneet grabbed a media person’s mike and delivered homilies asking people to step out and vote, how each vote would be an endorsement for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and exuded supreme confidence that she would win the LS elections for the second consecutive time with a three-lakh vote margin.
“I have taken the blessings of Lord Hanuman and recited Hanuman Chalisa before stepping out of home… I am certain that Bajrangbali will shower his blessings on me, and provide me with another opportunity to serve the people of my constituency,” said Navneet with a grin.
Attired in a casual white kurta-pyjama, MLA Ravi gingerly negotiated the sparse oncoming traffic of vehicles, the occasional tractor or a JCB, had to slow down a couple of times as the couple’s motorcycle glided off some sharp speed-breakers, but keeping his full concentration on the road.
In full form, the radiant Navneet got carried away a couple of times to raise her right arm plus mike to make some point and peppered her interaction invoking Hindu gods aplenty, besides praising PM Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other state or Central leaders.
When the couple reached the polling station, they got off and entered the polling booth, voted in turn, displayed their inked fingers and stepped out to mingle with the ordinary voters.
The Mumbai-born daughter of an ex-armyman of Punjabi roots, Navneet (Kaur) has a passion for life on the fast lane and has been seen zooming around on the roads several times in the past.
In June 2023, she had gone for a farm visit just ahead of the rains and in Patur taluka, drove a dazed farmer’s tractor for some distance in the barren farmland being readied for the first Kharif season crop.
Soon after her acrimonious face-off with ex-Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray heading the erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Mumbai, Navneet made several reels and posted them on social media.
Clad in salwar-kameez or kurtas in black, raging reds or stark saffron hues, a 'sairat' (plucky or carefree) Navneet could be seen zipping around on her motorcycle, hailed Lord Hanuman and other gods, or mouthed small messages for the youth and youngsters – whose crucial support could sail her through in these elections.