The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Meerut candidate Arun Govil, popular for essaying the role of Lord Ram in the late 1980s, made a cryptic post on Sunday and quickly deleted it, setting the political circles abuzz with speculations. This came after Govil arrived in Mumbai abruptly a day after the second phase polls were conducted in Meerut on April 26.
On Sunday, Govil, who campaigned Meerut with the photos of Lord Ram to seek votes, made a post in Hindi. “When someone’s double character is revealed, we are more angry with ourselves for blindly trusting such a person,” he stated.
Interestingly, the post, coupled with Govil’s sudden departure from Meerut a day after the city went to the polls on April 26 has aggravated speculations.
The BJP had picked Govil over sitting MP Rajendra Agarwal as its candidate for Meerut seemingly to encash the sentiments related to Lord Ram amid the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya in January. However, the move has proven to be a gamble rife with challenges.
A marked difference is the lack of a Muslim candidate in the opposition’s lineup, even though Muslims make up 36 per cent of the population in the Meerut constituency. Unlike previous Lok Sabha elections, the 2024 general assembly election has witnessed all major political parties, including the Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) fielding Hindu candidates, which reduces the likelihood of such polarisation.
