Star-studded campaign on cards for Kanhaiya in Begusarai

Top Left leaders - Sitaram Yechury, D Raja and Sudhakar Reddy - as well as Bollywood lyricist Javed Akhtar will descend on the soil of Bihar next week to campaign in Begusarai where former JNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar is pitted against Union minister and firebrand BJP leader Giriraj Singh.

According to a release issued by the CPI's state headquarters here, Yechury will be addressing a rally in Begusarai on April 23 while his CPI counterpart Sudhakar Reddy will be there on the same day and the day after.

The CPI national secretary D Raja will be arriving in Patna on Monday for a five-day tour of Bihar during which he will also campaign for Kanhaiya, his party candidate, from April 23 to 26, the release said.

Akhtar will be in the parliamentary constituency on April 23, the release added.

Meanwhile, critically-acclaimed actor Prakash Raj, who has won the National Award twice and became famous in Bollywood by virtue of his performances as the main antagonist in blockbusters such as "Wanted" and "Singham", landed in the dusty mofussil town on Saturday.

Raj, who claims to have become vocal on politics following the murder of noted journalist, and his close friend Gauri Lankesh in 2017, shared photographs on social media of himself holding hands with the 32-year-old CPI candidate and addressing rallies.

"Begusarai is rising up to Kanhaiya Kumar. As I travel with him, I can see hope in the eyes of the people. Winds of change. I can sense empowerment... I am proud to be by his side," Raj wrote on his Facebook page.

The noted actor, who is also contesting the polls as an Independent from Bengaluru, has indicated that he is likely to campaign for Kanhaiya till Monday.

Incidentally, Raj will be the second Bollywood personality to campaign for Kanhaiya Kumar in Begusarai.

Actress Swara Bhasker addressed a rally a fortnight ago after he had filed his nomination.

Known as the "Leningrad of Bihar" because of the strong presence of Left parties, Begusarai is witnessing a three-cornered contest, the third player being less talked about but equally formidable Tanveer Hassan of the RJD who was the runner-up in 2014.

Held by BJP's Bhola Singh, who passed away a few months ago, the seat would go to polls on April 29 in the fourth phase of general elections.