New Delhi [India]: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday fielded Arun Govil, the veteran actor famed for his role as Lord Ram in the popular TV show Ramayan, as its candidate from his hometown Meerut in Uttar Pradesh for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Arun Govil, who was among the 111 people named in the BJP’s fifth list of candidates, replaces three-time MP Rajendra Agarwal, who has been holding the Meerut seat since 2004.
Taking to his social media account, the veteran actor expressed heartfelt gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the selection committee for fielding him from the Meerut constituency for the Lok Sabha election.
Before this, in 1996, Nitish Bhardwaj, who played the unforgettable role of Shri Krishna, was also made a candidate for the Lok Sabha by the BJP, and he won.
Nitish Bhardwaj, who portrayed the role of Krishna in the Mahabharata serial, contested the elections on a BJP ticket from Jamshedpur and won. This was in 1996. At that time, Nitish Bhardwaj’s age was also 34 years. He was elected MP for the first time in 1996 by defeating Inder Singh Namdhari of the Janata Dal.
Arun Govil may have become popular in every house with the serial ‘Ramayana’, but he debuted on the big screen long ago with the 1977 film ‘Paheli’. This film was from Rajshree Productions, a production house that makes family films. The portrayal of Lord Ram elevated Arun Govil from an ordinary actor to a revered figure. His convincing performance led people to view him as the deity himself, prompting them to seek his blessings and pay respects whenever they encountered him in public.
The parliamentary elections for the 543 constituencies will be conducted in seven phases, commencing on April 19 and concluding on June 1. Vote counting is scheduled for June 4.
