As Votes Are Tallied Across Bihar, The Most Talked-About Figure In Bhagalpur Isn’t Even A Politician

Election seasons often throw unexpected names into the spotlight. This year in Bihar as rallies happened and every seat becomes a battlefield in the 243-constituency race, one familiar face from cinema has suddenly become the focus of conversations far away from film sets.

That face belongs to Neha Sharma. The Bollywood actor, known for her charm on screen and an Instagram feed filled with stylish moments, is now drawing attention for something completely different in Bhagalpur.

For the elections, the glamour, photo shoots and film sets were on pause as she moved through busy streets in an open jeep, waving to people and standing beside her father on the campaign trail.

Her father, Congress leader Ajit Sharma, is once again contesting from the Bhagalpur assembly seat, a constituency he held on to last time by a very narrow margin.

It is not as if Neha is a stranger to the place she is campaigning in. Bhagalpur is where she grew up, studied and spent the early years of her life. She completed her schooling at Mount Carmel before moving to Delhi to study fashion design at National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT).

But fashion wasn’t the path she ultimately stayed with. As her interests shifted, Neha found herself drawn towards cinema. Her break into films came in 2007 with the Telugu movie Chirutha opposite Ram Charan. (Photo: IMDb)

Three years later, she stepped into Bollywood with Crook followed by the comedy Kyaa Super Cool Hai Hum that brought her more recognition. Films like Yamla Pagla Deewana 2, Tum Bin 2 and the short film Kriti continued to build her on-screen journey. (Photo: IMDb)

In 2020, she starred in Ajay Devgn’s Tanhaji and the same year stepped into the world of streaming with Illegal where she plays a fierce and ambitious lawyer. Through these years, she managed to stay largely separate from the political identity of her family. (Photo: IMDb)

Her father, Ajit Sharma, became a prominent figure in Bihar politics as he rose to become the Congress Legislative Party leader. As his responsibilities grew so did speculation about whether Neha would follow him into public life.

Those rumours intensified during the 2024 Lok Sabha campaign when she was seen leading roadshows and urging people to vote. But Neha Sharma has been clear: she isn’t joining politics (at least not now).

She has repeatedly said that she campaigns for her father the way any daughter would, not because of political ambition or party plans. She had mentioned that her focus is on acting and believes she would need much more time and preparation before even considering a formal political role, if at all.

She has also brushed aside any claims that her father’s political rise affected her career and pointed out that he wasn’t a powerful politician when she was starting out in Bollywood.