Arun Govil is up against Samajwadi Party's Atul Pradhan
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and veteran actor Arun Govil said on Sunday that he is receiving a very good response from the people during the campaigning for Lok Sabha elections.
Recalling an incident, Mr Govil, who is BJP's candidate from Meerut, said that an old woman held his head with both her hands to bestow her blessing upon him.
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Speaking to the news agency ANI, Arun Govil said, "I am really liking it. I am getting very good responses from the public. I am seeing people's affection. Many old women were giving blessings to me. What can be bigger than this?"
On meeting Union Minister Smriti Irani during the 'Karyakarta and Mahila Sammelan' in Meerut, the veteran actor praised Ms Irani for her words.
"It was very nice to meet her...she is a very good speaker. Even today, whatever she said, it was all very good," Mr Govil added.
Earlier in the day, Arun Govil and Smriti Irani participated in the event in Meerut's Hapur Lok Sabha constituency.
"Participated in the 'Karyakarta and Mahila Sammelan' today in Meerut Hapur Lok Sabha constituency. On this occasion, discussed the work done by the Modi government in the last 10 years in the direction of women's welfare and nation-building. The Nari Shakti and activists present in the program reiterated their resolve to make #PhirEkBaarModiSarkar continuously maintain the pace of all-round development of the country," Ms Irani posted on X.
Arun Govil filed his nomination from Meerut in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya recently.
Mr Govil expressed his gratitude, stating, "Today, in the presence of Shri Keshav Ji, I have filed my nomination. The enthusiasm here for public engagement is remarkable. I have received love and respect over here in Meerut, which is greater than what I received to date."
Arun Govil, who essayed the role of Lord Ram in Ramanand Sagar's mythological drama Ramayan and has been given the BJP's ticket from Uttar Pradesh's Meerut Lok Sabha seat for the general polls, said that this election is a 'Beginning of a new inning' for him.
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He made his TV debut in 1987 with Ramanand Sagar's Vikram Betaal and eventually shot to fame with Ramayan. The show made him a household name. He also provided the voice for Ram in Yugo Sako's Indo-Japanese animation film Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama (1992).
The veteran actor had earlier told ANI that his candidature from the seat is like a 'homecoming' to him. After joining the BJP in 2021, Mr Govil replaced three-time MP Rajendra Agarwal, who has been holding the Meerut seat since 2004.
Mr Govil had campaigned for Congress earlier, but it took him decades to take a plunge into active politics.
He will be up against the Samajwadi Party's Atul Pradhan, who is currently the MLA from Sardhana Constituency in Meerut district.
The polling for 80 seats will be held across seven phases in the state of Uttar Pradesh, which sends the maximum number of MPs to Parliament. The counting of votes will be done on June 4.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)