The kurta-pajama on the campaign trip is replaced by a shirt and trousers. The BJP scarf is gone and in comes a cap. The sandals have made way for shoes. That's Arun Govil, BJP's Meerut candidate, heading to Mumbai after a month-long stint in his Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha constituency.
The actor-politician, who played the role of Ram in the hugely popular television drama Ramayan, found himself at the top spot on the trending list on Sunday.
This is a good example of a 'parachute politician', claims UP Congress chief Ajay Rai.
“It is learned that Arun Govil, the BJP candidate from Meerut, left for Mumbai the next day after the elections. Maybe he had a hard time staying among the crowd,” Rai alleged in a post in Hindi on X.
पता रहा है कि मेरठ से भाजपा प्रत्याशी रहे अरुण गोविल जी चुनाव निपटने के के अगले ही मुंबई मुंबई निकल गए गए गए ।।।।।।।।।।। ।।।।।।।।।।। ।।।।।।।।।।। ।।।।।।।।।।। ।।।।।।।।।।। ।।।।।।।।।।। ।।।।।।।।।।। ।।।।।।।।।।। ।।।।।।।।।।। ।।।।।।।।।।। ।।।।।।।।।।। ।।।।।।।।।।। ।।।।।।।।।।। ।।।।।।।।।।। ।।।।।।।।।।। ।।।।।।।।।।। ।।।।।।।।।।। ।।।।।।।।।।। ।।।।।।।।।।। ।।।।।।।।।।। ।।।।।।।।।।। गए गए गए गए गए गए गए गए गए I think I did well
I think it's okay See More The price is 36000 I think it is good
I think… pic.twitter.com/ZoEoa3yta4
— Ajay Rai🇮🇳 (@kashikirai) April 27, 2024
The 66-year-old politician immediately issued a statement, adding that he was going to Mumbai on the party's orders.
“My respected constituents, sisters, brothers and workers of Meerut, Hello. On Holi, on March 24, the Bharatiya Janata Party announced my name and on their instructions, I reached you on March 26. I stayed with you for a month and With your support, I campaigned for the elections. I am very grateful to you for your love, support and respect. Now, on behalf of the party, I am in Mumbai to fulfill my responsibilities here,” Mr Govil said in a detailed message. in Hindi on X.
I think I got it right – भाइयों और Reply
🙏🏼
होली के के 24 मार्च भारतीय जनता पार्टी ने मेरे मेरे नाम की घोषणा की और उनके निर्देश पर 26 मार मार को मैं बीच बीच पहुँच पहुँच गया।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।। गया गया गया गया गया गया गया 1 year ago र किया। I think it's good
Yes… pic.twitter.com/GuGyF8Pa3Y— Arun Govil (@arungovil12) April 28, 2024
The politician said the party plans to send him to other areas for election campaigns, underscoring that he will be part of the people of Meerut once the work is completed.
The other charge against Mr. Govil is that he is not aware of Meerut's issues.
“When a journalist asked him about Meerut's issues during the election campaign, he knew nothing. In response, he could only say: let the elections be over first and then we will look into the issues,” Mr Rai claimed. , and added, “This is the policy of most of the BJP leaders. They do not care about the people and the soil. They only believe in parachute politics.”
When asked about the problems in Meerut, Mr Govil told a New Minute reporter that he “doesn't know exactly what kind of problems are happening here”.
“In fact, roads, electricity, water, education, employment and medical care are always and everywhere the most important issues, not to mention this seat in Meerut. I'm not exactly aware of what kind of problems exist here. If they come to us, we will try to resolve them,” Govil told News Minute.
When pressed by the reporter about what he meant by not being aware and whether he had not had a chance to study the issues, a visibly annoyed Mr Govil said: 'It is not the question of studying them. You're taking me somewhere else.' The politician followed it up with a namaste.
When asked again whether the BJP was trying to cash in on his celebrity status, Mr Govil said: “I don't think so, no no. A lot of work has been done in this constituency.”
Arun Govil is pitted against Dalit candidate Sunita Verma of the Samajwadi Party. The BJP captured the country's largest and most crucial state in 2014 (72 seats) and 2019 (62 seats). At the age of 80, the politically valued state sends the maximum number of MPs to parliament.
Ms Verma is the former mayor of Meerut. Her husband Yogesh Verma, a former Samajwadi Party MLA, is a well-known face in the constituency.
The third candidate in the contest is BSP's Devvrat Tyagi.
The eight UP constituencies that went to polls in the second phase are Amroha, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Bulandshahr, Aligarh and Mathura.
According to the Election Commission's Voter Turnout App, 58.70 percent polling was recorded in Meerut.