Actor Arun Govil, best known for playing Lord Ram in the popular televesion series Ramayan, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi on March 18.
His entry into the saffron party comes days before the upcoming assembly elections in four states and one union territory.
Govil was inducted into the BJP in presence of senior party leader Arun Singh and New Delhi MP Meenakshi Lekhi.
In his first remarks after joining the BJP, Govil said the "objection" raised to 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was "the immediate trigger" for him to take the political plunge.
Mamata had, in a public event on January 23 in Kolkata, had condemned the alleged BJP supporters who allegedly attempted to heckle her speech with 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans.
According to Govil, he was not inclined to enter politics earlier in his life, but the "work done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi" has changed his perception of politics.
Notably, the actor is known for his work on the silver screen since the 1970s. He was part of Bollywood hits such as Sawan Ko Aane Do (1979) and Jiyo to Aise Jiyo (1979), and also for the role of sage Vikramaditya in the highly celebrated television series Vikram aur Betal.
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