Bollywood actor Sonu Sood on Wednesday said that he has “voluntarily” stepped down from the post of a “state icon” of Punjab. “This decision was mutually taken by me and the Election Commission in light of my family members contesting in Punjab Assembly elections,” he said in a tweet.
Sood, known for his major philanthropic work during the Covid-19 pandemic, was made Punjab’s ‘state icon’ over a year ago by the Election Commission of India.
Earlier in the day, the Election Commission also said that it had revoked the ‘state icon’ status of the 48-year-old actor.
In November 2021, Sood had announced that his sister Malvika was joining politics. However, he did not reveal about his sister’s election plan at that time.
Belonging to the Moga district in Punjab, Sood had catapulted to the national spotlight for helping migrant workers reach their homes during the Covid lockdown last year. Sood had arranged transport facilities for migrant workers who were stuck in cities to facilitate their return to their respective hometowns.
The actor is also a brand ambassador for the Delhi government’s ambitious ‘Desh Ke Mentor’ initiative. In August last year, the Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal announced the initiative in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis.
In November last year, Sood met Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi in Chandigarh, which sparked speculations of his political debut.
However, the actor himself has denied multiple times that he has no plans to join politics.
