Ehsaan Qureshi: Celebrities shouldn't contest polls

JAIPUR: Celebrities shouldn't contest elections. Actors like Dharmendra and Govinda have miserably failed to fulfil the promises made to the people in their constituency, said The Great Indian Laughter Challenge contestant Ehsaan Qureshi, who is in the Pink City campaigning for Congress candidate Mahesh Joshi. Ehsaan has presided over seven public meetings in the city in the past three days in support of Congress.
"I am confident that the Congress candidate from Jaipur, Mahesh Joshi, will make it to Parliament.His honesty and secular credentials will help him in securing victory over his BJP candidate," Qureshi said.
He suggested that political parties shouldn't give tickets to anybody other than their own workers. "The workers worked hard for years to establish a party. Their commitment to the people and the party can not be matched by others," said Qureshi.
Qureshi also revealed that both Congress and Samajwadi Party offered him tickets from Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, respectively. I told the party leaders that I am an entertainer. My role is to entertain people by making jokes. Politics is a highly dignified job with those people who are highly experienced. He reiterated that celebrities-turned-politicians prove to be the worst examples like actor Dharmendra. They have made mockery of themselves, he said.
Qureshi also commented on the poor level of comedy being aired in various channels. "I do not see comedy serials these days as their quality has gone down. The content has a bad impact on children. It is not possible to watch these serials with family," he added.
On his satire skills on any issue, Qureshi said, "I am a regular reader. I read all the newspapers daily to keep myself abreast with current affairs. This helps me making satire on certain issues."
On his relation with Joshi, Qureshi said that I met him during a shooting of my film. "When I came to know that he is contesting elections from Jaipur, I couldn't stop myself to visit the Pink City and campaign for him."
He recounted his overall experience and said the journey from a normal person to a celebrity is one of learning and a joyful odyssey.