Try GOLD - Free
Assembly elections 2026: Star power surges as celebrities enter politics
The Statesman
|April 01, 2026
Ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections, tennis legend Leander Paes on Tuesday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), adding to the growing list of celebrity politicians and highlighting a familiar and rising trend in Indian politics ~ film and sports personalities entering electoral politics.
In the upcoming 2026 Assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry, several well-known names from cinema and television are contesting, underlining the continued appeal of celebrity status for political parties.
While Tamil Nadu remains the most high-profile example ~ with actor Vijay and his new party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), dominating public discourse ~ political parties across states are tapping into star power, using celebrity charisma to attract voters.
Observers describe it as a win-win situation: for celebrities, politics offers a new career path, while parties benefit from their visibility and mass appeal. In fact, most parties now have prominent personalities in their ranks at both national and regional levels.
This story is from the April 01, 2026 edition of The Statesman.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM The Statesman
The Statesman
India, Netherlands elevate ties to strategic partnership
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten have unveiled an expansive five-year roadmap to elevate India-Netherlands relations into a full-fledged Strategic Partnership, signalling a major deepening of cooperation across semiconductors, critical minerals, defence, clean energy, maritime connectivity, water management, healthcare, education, and emerging technologies.
1 mins
May 18, 2026
The Statesman
An unusual scientist
I am not special, whatever may have been my aspirations. Even in contracting a disease, cancer, it appears I have been quite un-special.
3 mins
May 18, 2026
The Statesman Kolkata
Lebanon-Israel agree to extend ceasefire by 45 days
The US says Lebanon and Israel have agreed to extend their current ceasefire for another 45 days following two days of talks hosted by Washington, even as the IDF and Hezbollah continue to engage in cross-border clashes on an almost daily basis.
1 mins
May 18, 2026
The Statesman Kolkata
Can Indian IT make the most of the AI age?
For more than two decades, India's information technology industry built something genuinely admirable: a world class services engine that became the back office of the global economy.
4 mins
May 18, 2026
The Statesman Kolkata
Nine of top 10 firms’ valuation erodes by ₹3.12 trillion, Bharti Airtel only gainer
The market valuation of nine of the top 10 valued firms eroded by Rs 3.12 trillion last week. Reliance Industries took the biggest hit with its market valuation tumbled Rs 1,34,445.77 crore to Rs 18,08,420.81 crore.
1 min
May 18, 2026
The Statesman Kolkata
India’s economic pact with European FTA bloc seen as gamechanger
The Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) between India and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), operational since 1 October, 2025, marks a transformative milestone in India’s economic diplomacy and strategic engagement with Europe, according to an article.
1 mins
May 18, 2026
The Statesman Kolkata
India’s solar revolution enters emphatic new phase, challenge still lies in building resilient ecosystem
India’s solar revolution has entered an emphatic new phase. In the first quarter of 2026 alone, the country installed a record 15.3 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity ~ the highest quarterly addition ever recorded ~ underlining the extraordinary momentum behind India’s clean energy ambitions.
2 mins
May 18, 2026
The Statesman Kolkata
College student hacked to death in Katwa
Sensation gripped Katwa after a college student was hacked to death by unidentified miscreants at Multi village in East Burdwan on Saturday night.
1 min
May 18, 2026
The Statesman Kolkata
Old and the new
The original Nalanda, founded in 427 CE by Kumaragupta I of the Gupta dynasty, flourished for nearly 800 years, drew scholars from China, Tibet, Korea, Persia and across Asia, and was reduced to ashes by the invader Bakhtiyar Khilji at the close of the twelfth century. When the new campus opened in June 2024 with students from over twenty countries already on its rolls, it was not nostalgia speaking. It was the rebuilding of a node in a knowledge network that had once made Asia luminous
5 mins
May 18, 2026
The Statesman Kolkata
Minister promises action on drinking water, illegal constructions in Asansol
State Urban Development and Municipal Affairs, Women and Child Development, and Social Welfare Minister Agnimitra Paul said that the full state Budget will be presented in June, with priority given to resolving the drinking water crisis in the state.
1 mins
May 18, 2026
Listen
Translate
Change font size