- Saturday, May 18, 2024
Arun Govil will contest the elections on the ticket of prime minister Narendra Modi from Meerut, his hometown, in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIAN actor Arun Govil, renowned for his portrayal of Hindu God Lord Ram in the popular ‘Ramayan’ television serial aired in the 1980s for the first time, possesses a Mercedes vehicle valued at Rs 62.99 lakh (£60,088) and holds moveable assets exceeding Rs 3.19 crore (£304,306), his affidavit filed ahead of the general election which he contesting has said. Govil filed his nomination papers for the election which is on April 26.
Arun’s wife Sreelekha Govil possesses moveable assets valued at over Rs 2.76 crore (£263,287), it was learnt. In terms of immovable assets, Arun Govil’s total worth surpasses Rs 5.67 crore (£540,882), whereas his spouse’s immovable assets amount to more than Rs 2.80 crore (£267,102). The 72-year-old actor, who is contesting the election on the ticket of prime minister Narendra Modi from Meerut constituency in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, owes more than Rs 14.64 lakh (£13,966) in car loan.
He had bought the luxury car in June 2022 and shared a glimpse about his new possession on X, seeking everybody’s blessings in Hindi.
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प्रभु कृपा से परिवार में नए वाहन का आगमन हुआ है। आप सब की शुभकामनाएं अपेक्षित हैं। pic.twitter.com/2JEjlZzbOA
— Arun Govil (@arungovil12) June 6, 2022
Neither he nor his wife possesses any arms. Arun Govil, who slayed demon king Ravan in the serial, has no criminal charges against him.
His affidavit also said that he is a resident of the western city of Mumbai.
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While the actor has Rs 3.75 lakh (£3,577) cash in hand, his wife has a little over Rs 4.07 lakh (£3,883) cash in hand. The former has over Rs 1.03 crore (£98,255) in bank account, while Sreelekha has more than Rs 80.43 lakh (£76,725) in her bank account.
Arun Govil looked happy while filing his nomination papers. A first timer in electoral politics, Govil said the 2024 election marked a “beginning of a new innings” for him and said “Ramji theek karega sab” (Lord Ram will give his blessings).
He also said that his candidature from Meerut, the place of his birth, was like a “homecoming”. He spent 17 years of his life in the city. Keshav Prasad Maurya, deputy chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, and other leaders of the BJP accompanied him at the time of filing the nomination.
Arun Govil was fielded from Meerut replacing Rajendra Agarwal, who won from the constituency three consecutive times between 2009 and 2019. The latter was also present at the time of Govil’s filing of nomination. His name was announced last month, along with Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut, who is fielded from Mandi in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh.
Govil was seen at the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh in January, where he was accompanied by Deepika Chikhlia, who had played Sita in the serial, and Sunil Lahri, who played his brother Lord Laxman.
(With PTI inputs)
