Arun Govil, who played Lord Ram in the classic 1987 television show Ramayan, has joined the BJP just days before assembly elections in four states and a union territory.
According to the BJP, he will not run in the polls, but will instead vote for the party. Through this move, the party seems to be approaching right-wing supporters in states where elections will be held beginning March 27.
Arun Govil said at his first press conference that there was nothing wrong with saying “Jai Shri Ram,” a slogan heard often at BJP rallies and marches in Bengal, where the party hopes to enter its first government.
During the 2019 general elections, the slogan was used against the Trinamool. The BJP had captured 18 of Bengal’s 42 Lok Sabha seats, making significant inroads in the district.
Mr. Govil, 63, has also played the lead in many Hindi, Bhojpuri, Odia, and Telugu films in addition to Ramayan. He’s also had parts as a sidekick. However, he is most known for his appearances in mythological films.
Surprisingly, although Mr. Govil was at the height of his success in the 1980s, he backed the Congress. The BJP had issued tickets to actors who had played Ravan (Arvind Trivedi) and Sita (Deepika Chikhaliya) in the same series; both became MPs.
Mr. Govil made headlines last year after a picture of him on national broadcaster Doordarshan watching a Ramayan remake went viral.
Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry will hold multi-phased elections on April 29. The counting will take place on May 2nd.
