Film actress Nagma joins Congress

Hyderabad, Apr 16 (IANS): The main opposition Congress party in Andhra

Pradesh added some glamour to its ranks when popular actress Nagma joined

it.

Claiming to have been a Congress supporter for many years, Nagma told

reporters that the party's commitment towards secularism and welfare of the

poor and weaker sections made her join.

Asked in which language she would speak to converse with reporters, she

said: "It will be a language of the heart."

Accompanied by her mother, Nagma reached the party headquarters here at

Gandhi Bhavan Thursday night and announced her decision to join the party.

Instantly put on the job, Nagma, who has also acted in Hindi films, will

campaign for the party with central leader Ghulam Nabi Azad in the Telangana

region Friday and Saturday.

The star was earlier being wooed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which

had even indicated that she might be fielded from Hyderabad, which the party

had been trying to wrest from the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) for two

decades but could not despite fielding top leaders like M. Venkaiah Naidu.

The Congress needed some glamour quotient in a hurry with the ruling Telugu

Desam Party (TDP) using actress Roja to woo voters. Besides, the TDP-BJP

combine also has stars like Rambha, Vijayashanti and others campaigning for

it.

The combine is also fielding some prominent film personalities. Like the TDP

putting up film producers D. Ramanaidu, who is seeking to be re-elected, and

Ashwini Dutt, who is contesting for the first time.

Similarly, film actor and minister U.V. Krishnam Raju is fighting on the BJP

ticket.

Andhra Pradesh goes to the polls on April 20 and 26 to elect 42 members to

parliament and 294 to its assembly.