Chandigarh, May 9: The candidature of actor-turned-politician Kirron Kher from Chandigarh Lok Sabha constituency has caused a rift within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in Punjab, said sources quoted by NDTV. Kirron Kher was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) from Chandigarh seat in 2014, after defeating Indian National Congress leader Pawan Kumar Bansal, who won it three times in a row. Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Kirron Kher, BJP's Chhattisgarh Candidate, Sparks Row With Campaign Video Including Children, EC Seeks Reply.

But this time, Kher's nomination was announced at the last moment, over-riding the objections of Sanjay Tandon, Chandigarh BJP chief. According to a report in NDTV, Tandon wanted to field another candidate from the seat. Kher is now facing pressure from within the party as well as outside which is affecting her poll campaign. Anupam Kher, on Campaign Trail For Wife Kirron, Left Embarrassed After Being Quizzed on 2014 BJP Poll Promises; Watch Video.

A few days earlier, the 63-year-old's husband, Anupam Kher, faced an embarrassing moment during an election campaign when a shopkeeper pulled out BJP's 2014 manifesto and questioned which of promises has been met. The episode took place in front of cameras.

Anupam Kher also held a public rally in support of his wife in the city but the event got cancelled due to poor crowd presence, newspaper reports claimed. Replying to this incident, the actor said he has done 515 films and all were not hits.

Meanwhile, Kher is up against Congress' Pawan Kumar Bansal, Aam Aadmi Party's Harmohan Dhawan, and Bahujan Samaj Party's Parveen Kumar. The Chandigarh parliamentary seat will go into the poll in seventh phase, May 19. The counting of votes will be held on May 23.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 09, 2019 11:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).