New Delhi, April 23: With the third phase of Lok Sabha elections underway, Bollywood senior actor Sunny Deol on Tuesday, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, amid speculations around that he will contest the polls abide.
This is after the actor met BJP President Amit Shah in Pune on Friday, 19 April, sparking speculation over him joining the party and contesting the said elections.
"Like my father joined Atal Bihari Vajpayee, I have decided to go with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I want PM Modi for the next five years", said the actor in a short speech.
Welcoming him to the party, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman referred to his blockbuster 1997 movie Border based on an episode from the India-Pakistan of 1971. "Sunny Deol made the film Border which showed how the feeling of nationalism and patriotism when portrayed beautifully on film can touch a cord with the people", she said.
"It cannot be acting when it comes from the heart", added Union Minister Piyush Goyal. While the BJP is yet to announce its candidates for three seats in Punjab (Gurdaspur, Amritsar and Hoshiarpur), the party chief has successfully convinced him to contest from Amritsar.