Kirron Kher believes that the "Modi wave" and her work in Chandigarh will see her through.
BJP's Kirron Kher has won from Chandigarh with a margin of 46,970 votes. She received a total of 2,31,188 votes, as compared to her closest contestant, Pawan Kumar Bansal of the Congress, who got 1,84,218 votes.
Ms Kher fought the 'outsider' tag to score a huge win in Chandigarh, defeating veteran Congressman and four-time parliamentarian Pawan Bansal in her debut election five years ago.
Kirron Kher, 63, believes that the "Modi wave" and her work in Chandigarh will see her through.
The Mumbai-based BJP leader, though, has been constantly accused by her opponents of ignoring the city.
Her detractors have dismissed her as a parachute candidate.
But the Chandigarh-born BJP leader has vehemently rubbished the criticism. "It is my city and my hometown. I have done a lot of work here... I did not act in films for five years," she told news agency PTI.
The BJP's decision to field Kirron Kher from the seat again reportedly did not go down well with Chandigarh BJP chief Sanjay Tandon who, sources say, has not been on the best of terms with the lawmaker and wanted a candidate of his choice.
The lawmaker was also caught in a controversy over sharing a campaign video featuring children on Twitter. The Election Commission issued notice to Kirron Kher following a complaint over the video link in which children could be seen participating in an election campaign, shouting slogans - "Vote for Kirron Kher and Ab ki baar Modi Sarkar".
Ms Kher apologised for the video, saying 'it was wrong and shouldn't have happened". The video was deleted.
In 2017, the BJP leader's comment on a young woman who was gang-raped by an auto-rickshaw driver and his two friends, sparked outrage. "I want to tell this girl and all other girls that if you see three men already sitting in the auto, then you should not board it." She later clarified, saying she never intended to blame or shame the woman.
Married to noted actor Anupam Kher, Kirron Kher has had a successful career in theatre, films and television before she joined politics. The National Award-winning actress has featured in over 30 films, notably "Sardari Begum", "Devdas" and "Rang De Basanti".