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.
Without delving into party alignments, in West Bengal, some of the prominent names in the fray include Bratya Basu, Arundhuti Maitra, Sayantika Banerjee, Soham Chakraborty and Hiran Chatterjee. Kerala, too, has an impressive line-up—actor-filmmaker and military veteran Major Ravi, Akhil Marar, Sudheer Karamana, Vivek Gopan and Anjali Nair—representing different political sides.
While the spotlight is on Vijay’s political debut, there is also Seeman, chief of Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK), in Tamil Nadu, a state well known for its history of celebrity politicians such as MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa.
The trend is not limited to cinema. Cricketers such as Navjot Singh Sidhu, Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh, along with Olympians like Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and PT Usha, have also had successful innings in politics. Other sportspersons, such as wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, have entered the political arena as well.
However, the effectiveness of celebrity candidates remains mixed.
Their presence draws large crowds and media attention, and in some cases, fan loyalty translates into votes, particularly in states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala, where film culture is deeply entrenched. Yet, popularity alone does not guarantee political success. Many celebrities have become Members of Parliament but failed to fulfil their responsibilities effectively.
“Star candidates often function as crowd-pullers and campaign amplifiers, but they are rarely grassroots leaders. While figures such as Hema Malini, Jaya Bachchan, Vinod Khanna and Shatrughan Sinha can be counted among serious politicians, there are also examples like Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra and Rajesh Khanna. The parliamentary track record of celebrities such as Rekha and Sachin Tendulkar has also been rather underwhelming,” observers say.
However, despite criticism, particularly around absenteeism and limited political engagement, celebrity candidates remain a valuable asset for political parties due to their ability to draw attention and attract younger voters.