Election results: BJP newcomers Kangana Ranaut, Arun Govil lead in Mandi and Meerut as actors shine in Lok Sabha polls

After the Bharatiya Janata Party opted to field a myriad of new faces for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the saffron party is already reaping the rewards in Meerut and Mandi, where freshmen Arun Govil and Kangana Ranaut are leading.

'Ramayan' star Govil, contesting from Uttar Pradesh's Meerut is ahead of his nearest rival by 40,000 votes, while another actor in Ranaut is also leading by a similar margin from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi.

Actors are contesting from all over in this year's elections, with veteran Hema Malini - who is seeking a third term in Lok Sabha from Mathura - also ahead of her competitors by over 1.5 lakh votes.


In Kerala, actor Suresh Gopi is contesting on a BJP ticket from Thrissur and is leading by over 43,000 votes, according to trends available on the Election Commission website.

Shatrughan Sinha, contesting for the Trinamool Congress, is also leading in his bid to get elected from Asansol, West Bengal. He has a lead of over 22,000 votes.

Other actors in the fray include Manoj Tiwari and Ravi Kishan from Northeast Delhi and Gorakhpur, respectively, both from the BJP. Tiwari is leading by over 43,000 votes, while Kishan is ahead by over 22,000 in his constituency.

Not all actors are faring well, with the BJP's Locket Chatterjee trailing by 15,000 votes in her constituency of Hooghly in West Bengal.

The latest trends show the NDA leading in 295 seats, with the INDIA bloc coming a close second at 230 seats. The BJP's lofty aims of '400-paar' are looking likely to remain unfulfilled as the Congress-led opposition bloc makes significant gains in the Lok Sabha.