Election results 2019: Sunny Deol defeated his Congress rival Sunil Kumar Jakhar from Gurdaspur in Punjab
Bollywood actor Sunny Deol became the latest member of his family to be elected to the parliament on a BJP ticket. His father Dharmendra and step-mother Hema Malini -- both actors -- have been BJP members elected to the Lok Sabha.
After winning the election, the actor-turned-politician thanked the people and assured them that he would work for their welfare. "Please continue to give your support to me," he said.
Mr Deol defeated his Congress rival Sunil Kumar Jakhar from Gurdaspur Lok Sabha constituency in Punjab, wresting the seat back from the Congress. After the BJP massive sweep in the election, his father Dharmendra tweeted: "Faqeer Badshah Modi Ji , Dharti puttra sunny Deol, Congratulations. Achhe Din Yaqeenan Ayen Ge (King Modi ji, son of soil Sunny Deol, Congratulations. Good days will definitely come)."
The Gurdaspur seat has been a BJP stronghold, represented by actor-turned-politician Vinod Khanna in 1998, 1999, 2004 and 2014. After his death, Mr Jakhar won the seat in bypolls.
In 2019, there was speculation that his wife Kavita Khanna would be nominated from the seat. After the announcement of Sunny Deol's candidacy, she expressed her disappointment, but later reconciled with the party, but made her reservations clear.
"The BJP and my Prime Minister have my support, but at the same time I have to insist that what has happened with me can absolutely not happen again," she said.
In the run-up to election, Mr Deol was ridiculed by the Congress party over his comments on the Balakot air strikes.
The 62-year-old actor, who joined the BJP in April and was named its candidate from Gurdaspur, had acknowledged he is new to politics. "I do not know much about issues like Balakot strikes or India's relations with Pakistan. I am here to serve people; if I win maybe I will have an opinion, right now I don't," he told NDTV.
Hema Malini was today reelected from the Mathura constituency in Uttar Pradesh for the second time whereas Dharmendra served as the Member of Parliament from Rajasthan's Bikaner constituency.
Sunny Deol debuted in films with the movie "Betaab" in 1983. Over the years, he excelled in action hero roles in films like "Gadar: Ek Prem Katha", "Damini" and "Border".