Actor-politician Kirron Kher uses 118% MPLAD funds

Actor-turned-politician and Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher has used 100 per cent of the funds allocated under the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) in the past five years.

According to official figures, her fund utilisation in the past five years was at 118.49 per cent. Kher has allocated Rs 33.47 crore while the unspent balance with the district authorities is Rs 1.21 crore.

Under the MPLADS, each MP could suggest to the District Collector Rs 5 crore projects per annum to be taken up in his/her constituency.

The funds are used mainly for constructing roads and toilets, developing parks, installing solar panels and building open gyms.

Kher is likely to be pitted against former Union Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal (Congress) and BJP rebel and AAP candidate Harmohan Dhawan. Dhawan was Minister of State for Civil Aviation in the Chandra Shekhar government.

"#MyCityMyPeople from village #kajheri are extremely happy with the work done in the last 5 years. It was a pleasure being with them earlier today. God bless these happy souls!" Kher said in a tweet on Tuesday.

"This summer onwards, #MyCityMyPeople won't have to worry about #water troubles. So glad my efforts paid off (had raised this in #parliament). New pipeline from #Kajauli water works for #Chandigarh," she said in another tweet.

Kher had defeated Bansal by 70,000 votes in 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Hailing from Chandigarh, the 63-year-old not only faces tough challenge from the Congress but also from within the local unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Chandigarh BJP President Sanjay Tandon and former MP Satya Pal Jain are breathing down her neck as claimants for the ticket. Both were ticket aspirants last time too.

Taking a cue from the popular TV chat show "Koffee with Karan" in which she participated as a jury member at one of the episodes, Kirron has launched her localised version of the show in Chandigarh "#CofeeWithKirron".

Kher is campaigning at her own level by meeting advocates, industrialists, housewives, youth, children, businessmen and others.

The nearly 6.2 lakh electorate of Chandigarh (population 11 lakh) will decide its next MP on May 18.

Approximately 40,000 new voters have been added since the 2014 elections.

--IANS

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