The Congress party has stirred controversy by hiring a lookalike of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan for their election campaign in Solapur, Maharashtra. The doppelganger was seen in a video, waving to crowds from the back of a small truck adorned with Congress banners, which included images of Rahul Gandhi and Praniti Shinde, the Congress candidate running in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala criticized the move on social media, calling it a “scam” and accusing the Congress party of attempting to fool voters. Poonawala tagged the Election Commission of India and Shah Rukh Khan in his posts, questioning the lengths to which the party would go to win over voters.
The identity of the doppelganger remains unconfirmed, but reports suggest it could be Ibrahim Qadri, known for his resemblance to Shah Rukh Khan and his popularity on social media. Qadri often impersonates Khan, delivering his dialogues and mimicking his iconic poses.
Praniti Shinde, the daughter of former Union minister and Maharashtra chief minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, is running as the Congress candidate for Solapur. The district is set to vote in the third phase of elections on May 7. In the previous election, Sushil Shinde lost the Solapur seat to BJP’s Jaisidhesvar Swami. This time, the BJP has fielded Ram Satpute, the sitting MLA from Malshiras, to challenge Praniti Shinde.
This incident follows a recent trend of political campaigns utilizing celebrity lookalikes to draw attention and sway voters, a tactic that has drawn mixed reactions.
