Agra, Nov. 25 -- Despite being a star campaigner for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) herself, three-time Mathura MP Hema Malini had to rely on her actor-husband Dharmendra to connect with voters in the Jat-dominated constituency during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. On April 14, 2019, Dharmendra addressed three public meetings in a single day at Sonkh, Baldev, and Mant.

Residents of Sonkh town still recall that Sunday when, responding to public demand, Dharmendra recited his iconic dialogues from the film Sholay while appealing to villagers to vote for Hema Malini. He humorously warned that if they did not support his wife, he would "climb onto a tank" in the village and come down only after they agreed to vote for her.

Sonkh, the first...