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As the assembly poll draws near, electioneering has reached a new pitch with political leaders joined by film stars to add glamour to an otherwise lacklustre poll campaign in Uttaranchal.
Parties are seeking the help of stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Rajesh Khanna and Vinod Khanna. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani, too, will try to entice voters.
With regional issues taking forefront in the election, parties are now mainly banking on the star-power to boost their prospects at the hustings.
Vajpayee will address rallies in Dehradun and Haldwani on February 7 and Advani will crisscross the length and breadth of Uttaranchal, addressing a host of public gatherings, a Bharatiya Janata Party spokesman said.
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj and Human Resources Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi will also campaign for the party.
The ruling party is also trying to rope in stars of yesteryears like Vinod Khanna and Hema Malini.
Despite rebellion in a section of the party, the Congress is banking on the charisma of its president Sonia Gandhi. She will address two public rallies in Pauri and Bageshwar districts on February 4. Her daughter Priyanka has also emerged as an ace campaigner for the party.
The Congress is also banking on Rajesh Khanna and Sunil Dutt to bring in voters.
The Samajwadi party has contacted superstar Amitabh Bachchan and Raj Babbar to campaign for it.
The Nationalist Congress Party has invited its leaders Sharad Pawar and P A Sangma to help the party's fortunes in the assembly poll.
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