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?”
मेरठ की किठौर विधानसभा के प्रेम से अभिभूत हूँ। लोगों के प्रेम, भाव से मेरा जीवन धन्य हुआ। ?
जय श्री राम। pic.twitter.com/pVceGX8voB
— Arun Govil (@arungovil12) April 5, 2024
मेरठ का प्यार, विश्वास, भरोसा और समर्थन मेरे जीवन का सबसे बड़ा आशीर्वाद है। ?#Meerut #BJP #ViksitMeerut pic.twitter.com/AtJR9yeZea
— Arun Govil (@arungovil12) April 2, 2024
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.
मेरठ-हापुड़ लोकसभा के उज्जवल भविष्य का संकल्प लेकर नामांकन दाखिल किया। जय श्री राम। ?
धन्यवाद श्री @kpmaurya1 जी, श्री @Satendraupbjp जी, श्री @MP_Meerut जी, श्री @AmitAgarwalBJP जी और सभी सम्मानित साथी। #Meerut #BJP #ViksitMeerut pic.twitter.com/bDK83iBvrM
— Arun Govil (@arungovil12) April 2, 2024
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.
READ | “Thrilled”: Ramayan Star Arun Govil On BJP Picking Him As Meerut Candidate
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).
आज मेरठ में राम जी संग-संग चलते रहे। बोलिए श्रीराम जी की जय-जय। ?#Meerut #JaiShriRam pic.twitter.com/BEhpYk4XcM
— Arun Govil (@arungovil12) April 5, 2024
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.
