In a surprising turn of events, popular actors Kangana Ranaut and Arun Govil have been named as candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Arun Govil, known for his portrayal of Ram in the iconic TV serial Ramayan, will be contesting from the Meerut Lok Sabha seat, while Kangana Ranaut, the Bollywood actor, will be representing Mandi in her home state of Himachal Pradesh.
Expressing her gratitude towards the party, Kangana Ranaut, who has been a vocal supporter of the BJP, thanked the national leadership for nominating her as their candidate from Mandi. On the other hand, Arun Govil, who recently joined the BJP along with Anuradha Paudwal, is set to replace BJP MP Rajendra Agrawal in the Meerut contest.
Both actors had attended the grand Ram temple event in Ayodhya earlier this year, indicating their alignment with the BJP’s ideologies.
The BJP’s decision to field Kangana Ranaut and Arun Govil comes as part of a larger announcement naming 111 more candidates for the Lok Sabha polls. Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan will contest from Sambalpur, while the party’s spokesperson Sambit Patra will once again contest from Puri. However, big names like Union ministers Ashwini Kumar Choubey and VK Singh, along with MP Varun Gandhi, have been dropped from the candidate list.
In Uttar Pradesh, Maneka Gandhi has been fielded from Sultanpur, while Uttar Pradesh minister Jitin Prasada will replace Varun Gandhi in Pilibhit. Additionally, Sita Soren, who recently switched from the JMM to BJP, will fight from Dumka (Jharkhand).
With these developments, the BJP aims to strengthen its position in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections while introducing fresh faces to the political landscape.