MATHURA, July 27: Hema Malini doesn't want to be a Chief Minister. But if she really wanted the job, the politician-actor thinks it would be hers for the asking.

"If I want to, I can become that (chief minister) in a minute," the actor, who switched to politics more than a decade back, told reporters in Rajasthan's Banswara, according to news agency PTI. She was in the city to perform at a religious function.

But 69-year-old lawmaker from Uttar Pradesh made it clear that she wasn't "too keen" on the Chief Minister's job.

She gave her reasons

"I don't like to be tied up. My freedom of movement will end," Hema Malini said when asked if she would be open to becoming a chief minister if an opportunity came her way.

Hema Malini debuted in parliament in 2003 when she was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. She had had campaigned for BJP candidates in the past too but formally joined the party only in 2004.

She moved up the BJP's hierarchy in 2010 when she was made a general secretary. She returned to the Rajya Sabha in 2011 for a shorter tenure. She made the transition to electoral politics in 2014 when she defeated sitting lawmaker Jayant Chaudhary, son of Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh with a huge margin.

But Hema Malini conceded that she was still known for her on-screen performances rather than in politics. "I am known mainly because of my name in Bollywood, call it 'dream girl' or Hema Malini," said the Mathura lawmaker who has acted in more than 200 films and performed more than 1000 shows in India and abroad.

Courtesy: www.ndtv.com

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Bengaluru (PTI): The complainants, who were granted sanction by the Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot after they sought an order for probe from the special court against the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in a site allotment case, on Tuesday hailed the High Court's verdict dismissing his petition challenging the approval.

The Chief Minister had challenged the approval given by Gehlot for an investigation against him in the alleged irregularities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) in a prime locality.

The Governor on August 16 accorded sanction under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 for the commission of the alleged offences as mentioned in the petitions submitted to him by the three complainants -- Abraham T J, Snehamayi Krishna and Pradeep Kumar S P.

“We had petitioned in the High Court seeking the dismissal of Siddaramaiah's plea. Whatever objections we had filed, the order has come accordingly, which is a matter of pleasure for us,” Abraham told reporters soon after a single judge bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna dismissed Siddaramaiah’s petition.

When told that the Chief Minister may challenge the order in the division bench, Abraham said: “Let him challenge in the division bench. He will use his legal rights. Since he is moving the (High Court's) division bench, we are filing a caveat there.”

Krishna said: “We had brought to the notice of the High Court that Siddaramaiah’s role is there in the irregularities. Accordingly, the Honourable Court gave its order.”

Krishna claimed that there was "unshakable" documentary evidence available against the Chief Minister. “He will lose whichever court he goes to."

After completing the hearings on the petition in six sittings from August 19, Justice Nagaprasanna on September 12 reserved the verdict.

On August 19, Siddaramaiah moved the High Court challenging the legality of the Governor's order.