With sickle in hand, actor-turned-politician Hema Malini started her election campaign amid golden harvests in a farm in Mathura on Sunday.
Draped in a saree matching the colour of her background, the actor was seen lending a hand to women working in a wheat field, carrying bundles of freshly harvested crop.
The BJP Lok Sabha lawmaker is seeking a second term from Mathura.
Sharing her experience, the BJP lawmaker took to Twitter and said, "Began my Lok Sabha campaign today with the Govardhan Kshetra where I had the opportunity to interact with women working in the fields. A few fotos for u of my first day of the campaign."
On being asked by reporters about her future plans for people in her Lok Sabha constituency, the actor said, "People greeted me happily. They welcomed me because I have done a lot for people of Mathura. I am proud of what I did in Mathura. In the near future, more development will be the only aim. Nobody has done anything for Mathura before me like the way I did."
However, a local present there expressed his disappointment by claiming that Malini had not done anything for the development of the city.
"When Hema Malini came to Mathura she directly went to her guest house to take rest despite knowing that people had been waiting for her since long in the scorching heat. She has not done anything for the constituency. How can we vote for her after seeing all this? There is a lack of proper drinking water in the area. Also, there is a lack of toilet facilities in the area despite being a holy place," he said.
Dubbed an "outsider" by the Opposition, she had said that she has a "divine connection" with Mathura, the city of Lord Krishna.
The mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) of the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal has said that Mathura will witness an "outsider vs Brijwasi" battle as Hema Malini lives in Mumbai.
"Yes, I have a house in Mumbai. What is the problem with that? I have a house here also and I am a Virndavanwasi," Hema Malini told PTI in an interview.
"I am so involved with the city and I feel some divine connection with this city. I have been playing Radha and Meera throughout my life and I was in a temple only when my candidature was announced," she had said.
"I really feel hurt when someone asks 'apne kya kaam kiya?' (what work did you do). The first two years were difficult as I could not communicate (with the people). But in the last two years I was able to get things done with the support of the Centre and the state government," she said.
Hema Malini had defeated RLD's sitting MP Jayant Chaudhary in 2014 by a huge margin of 3,30,743 votes in 2014.
This year, she is pitted against RLD's Kunwar Narendra Singh.
With inputs from ANI and PTI
