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Television actress Chahat Pandey joined the Aam Aadmi Party in New Delhi on Thursday saying she was impressed by the party's ideology and wanted to work for the welfare of the people of her home state Madhya Pradesh.
She was welcomed into the party by Sandeep Pathak, who holds the charge of national general secretary (organisation).
"There is rampant corruption in Madhya Pradesh. BJP and Congress are no different and both have literally exploited the state to fulfil their own motives. People want to give a chance to the Aam Aadmi Party in the state," he said.
The Rajya Sabha MP said Pandey has left the world of showbiz to venture into politics.
"Today, she feels that her state needs her. She is leaving her successful career as an actress. The people of Damoh look up to her," he added.
Pandey, who has worked in TV shows like Pavitra Bandhan and Hamari Bahu Silk, said she had been living in Mumbai for the last seven to eight years and working as an actor.
"Everyone lives and earns for themselves. But we have some duties towards our home state, our country. I want to fulfil those duties. I come from a small place, Damoh in Madhya Pradesh. No one knows Damoh. People say it is near Bhopal. I want them to know Damoh," she said.
Pandey said Damoh has a high number of child labourers and she wants to work to eradicate their problem.
"I have not entered politics for name, fame, or money. I have left all these behind to enter politics," she said.
Talking about AAP, she said that the party put its money where its mouth is.
"Other parties only talk about accomplishing things, but AAP does what it says. I am impressed by AAP and their work speaks for itself," she said.
Earlier this year, Pathak had said that the Arvind Kejriwal-led party will contest all 230 seats in the Madhya Pradesh elections due later this year.
In the 230-member MP assembly, the Bharatiya Janata Party has 127 MLAs and the Congress 96.
The BJP had lost the 2018 assembly polls in MP but managed to come to power in 2020 following the collapse of the Congress government led by Kamal Nath.
The BJP is keen to win yet another term under Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan who has been at the helm since November 29, 2005, barring the period from December 18, 2018 to March 2020 when Nath headed the Congress government.