Sapna Chaudhary denied joining the Congress and said her picture Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is old.
A day after reports said Sapna Chaudhary, a singer and dancer from Haryana, had joined the Congress, triggering speculation whether she will be fielded by the party in the Lok Sabha elections, the popular performer issued a firm denial. "I have not joined the Congress and will not campaign for any political party," she was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
According to reports, Sapna Chaudhary had gone to meet UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi last year and had said that she wanted to campaign for the Congress.
News agency PTI reported on Saturday that Sapna Chaudhary had joined the Congress at party leader Raj Babbar's residence in New Delhi.
Quoting sources, the report said the Congress may field Sapna Chaudhary from Mathura to take on BJP's Hema Malini.
But Sapna Chaudhary denied the report and said that a picture of her with Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is old.
The news of Sapna Chaudhary joining the Congress had drawn derogatory remarks from BJP leaders.
Ashwini Kumar Chopra, a BJP leader from Haryana, said, "Congress mein thumke lagane wale jo hain woh hi thumke lagayenge, yeh unko dekhna hai ki thumke lagane hain ya chunaav jeetna hai (Congress already has people who dance and that's enough. The party needs to prioritise what they want to do, whether they want to dance or win elections).
BJP legislator from Uttar Pradesh Surendra Singh said, "Rahul ji ki mata ji bhi Italy mein isi peshe se thi. Jaise aapke pitaji ne Sonia ji ko apna bana liya tha, aap bhi Sapna ko apna banaye. (Rahul [Gandhi's] mother too is from the same profession. The way his father made her his own, Rahul should accept Sapna too).
Sapna Chaudhary was a contestant on the popular reality show "Bigg Boss". She was also a part of a song in the movie "Veere Ki Wedding".
In 2016, a police case was filed against the performer for making castiest remarks in a song.
The Lok Sabha elections will be held in seven phases beginning April 11; votes will be counted on May 23.
(With inputs from PTI and IANS)