Bhopal: Actor Kareena Kapoor’s denial notwithstanding – which is seen as tactical posturing — speculation is rife that she will be Congress nominee from Bhopal. That sounds absurd on the face of it but not when one considers that she is the daughter-in-law of Mansoor Ali Khan ‘Tiger’ Pataudi. While Pataudis are natives of Pataudi town near Gurgaon – as the name would suggest — their Bhopal link runs rather deep and is a throwback to the times when Nawab Iftekhar Ali Khan Pataudi married Begum Sajida Sultan, the daughter of Nawb of Bhopal. (That makes her actor Saif Ali Khan’s grandmother).
Kareena’s reluctance to contest may be because Pataudi himself had lost the Lok Sabha election from Bhopal in 1991. Though wife Sharmila Tagore, too, had hit the campaign trail, and Pataudi’s candidature had got a boost from Rajiv Gandhi’s personal endorsement, the city was sharply polarised on communal lines and the consolidated Hindu vote went to the BJP. In fact, a BJP bastion, Bhopal has never thrown up a Congress candidate since 1984. Kareena’s name has been proposed by two Congress leaders, Guddu Chouhan and Anas Khan.
But there is no word from the actress or Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath. The actress says she has not been approached thus far and her only focus is movies. Incidentally, this was Tiger Pataudi’s second electoral defeat, points out News 18. When Indira Gandhi had abolished privy, purses in 1970, the young Nawab of Pataudi, miffed at the monetary loss, had contested as a nominee of the Vishal Haryana Party against the Congress candidate but got just a handful of votes.If Kareena gets nominated, she must keep this chequered history in mind.
Even if Rahul Gandhi is game, it remains to be seen whether the Kapoor khandan will say ‘yes’ to the political dalliance. But all things considered, Kareena may be Rahul’s bestbet against the likes of Madhuri Dixit. Already, PM Modi has made the first moves; recently Karan Johar had organised a star trek to the national capital and the BJP has, more glamour quotient in its ranks than the Congress.
