Lok Sabha Elections 2024: It’s the people who see me as Ram, says Arun Govil

Veteran actor and BJP’s Meerut candidate Arun Govil during a road show at Rukanpur Morna in Meerut on Tuesday

The candidature of Arun Govil, 72, who is contesting the Meerut Lok Sabha seat on a BJP ticket, could be seen as an attempt to capitalise on the popularity of Ramayan - the TV show that created an inextricable association between the veteran actor and Lord Rama - and the sentiment surrounding it.

While it is interesting to see how political parties leverage cultural and religious symbols for electoral gains, the outcome of the Meerut contest could ultimately depend on various factors, including the political landscape, local issues and voter preferences.

When mid-day met Govil on Tuesday, he was campaigning at Rukanpur Morna. Scores of residents showered flowers on his convoy amid cries of Jai Shri Ram. He said, "Even if I was staying in Mumbai, Meerut is my janmabhoomi [birthplace] and I am proud that I got a chance [to fight the election to represent Meerut in Parliament]."

Arun Govil (second from left) during a road show at Rukanpur Morna

He added, "I had never thought I would be contesting an election from Uttar Pradesh. But I had my mind set on doing social work for the people. Recently, when I received a call from a senior leader informing me that I had to contest the election, I was happy and excited about getting a chance to work for the people and that too from my birthplace."

Govil was nominated as the BJP's candidate on March 25, 2024. Since then he has started going on road shows and rallies in the constituency as well as meeting voters in its urban and rural parts.

‘No religious angle'

Govil denied playing the religious card, saying, "I am contesting as Arun Govil. If people associate me with the character I played in Ramayan, what can I do? Meanwhile, people are happy to see me as a candidate and I have seen them responding well to my campaign over the past few days. Even if people have seen me on TV, it's my job now to reach out to them."

Asked what he would do for the people of Meerut should he emerge victorious, Govil said, "Any work is done following the official procedure. I will too follow the procedure and will try to do the best for the people." The veteran actor appealed to citizens to come out and vote. "I am getting support from the people and the election results will prove this," he concluded.

Constituency facts

The Meerut Lok Sabha seat has 12,16,940 voters as per the 2019 data. Since 2009, it has been represented by BJP's Rajendra Agrawal. In the 2019 poll, Agrawal secured 5,86,184 votes. The runner-up was BSP's Haji Yaqoob Qureshi. The winning margin was 4,729 votes. A local BJP worker said, "This time, the candidates are Sunita Verma of the Samajwadi Party, which is in alliance with the Congress, while Devvrat Tyagi is contesting on a BSP ticket. Seeing the two candidates, it seems that the BJP has a good chance of winning as the votes will be split between the three allies."

In 2014, Agrawal secured 5,32,981 votes while the runner-up, Mohammad Shahid Akhlak of the BSP, won 3,00,655. Asked whether the sitting MP was unhappy with his party giving a ticket to Govil, the worker said Agrawal had won thrice and had done good work. "He is happy that Govil got the ticket and has been part of his campaign from day one," he said.

Sonu Goswami, a resident, said, "Govil's chances of victory are high. As an actor, he made Meerut famous across the world. We want such leaders who are not chasing fame, but working for the welfare of the people. I hope he brings about a lot of change in Meerut in the coming years."