Wednesday’s catch

BJP bagged another slice of Bollywood with star of yesteryear Dharmendra joining the party on Wednesday, following in the footsteps of wife Hema Malini. There were strong indications that the actor would be fielded from the Jat-dominated Bikaner seat in Rajasthan.

The actor said that he had been motivated to join the BJP because of the statesmanship shown by Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee in bringing about a thaw in Indo-Pak ties and the ‘‘impressive’’ strides made by the country. ‘‘A match in Lahore today looks as if it is being played in Ludhiana,’’ said Dharmendra, whose performance in Sholay made him a household name. Though his praise of Gen Pervez Musharraf and his promise to take the ‘‘minorities’’ above ‘‘the majority’’ did embarrass the leadership present , sources said that the actor was certain to be fielded from one of the Jat constituencies in Rajasthan, most likely Bikaner.

CONGRESS continued to attract Bollywood personalities. Producer, director and poet Tajdar Kamal Amrohi, the owner of Kamal Amrohi studios and son of director Kamal Amrohi, joined the party on Wednesday.

JD(S) may soon see former Union minister D.K. Taradevi Siddartha walking into the party. Peeved with the BJP after it denied her a ticket to contest the Lok Sabha polls from Chikamagalur constituency, Taradevi said in Bangalore on Wednesday that she planned to join the JD(S).