Pankaj Tripathi steps down as National Icon of Election Commission

Pankaj Tripathi, the actor designated as the ‘National Icon’ by the Election Commission of India (ECI), has voluntarily resigned from his position. The ECI expressed gratitude for Tripathi’s significant contribution to voter awareness and the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) initiative since October 2022.

A statement on the ECI’s social media handle, posted by Spokesperson ECI, conveyed, “Acknowledging his role as a political leader in an upcoming film, actor @PankajTripathi has voluntarily stepped down as #ECI National Icon as per terms of MoU. #ECI expresses gratitude for his impactful contribution to voter awareness & #SVEEP since Oct 2022.”

Pankaj Tripathi assumed the role of ECI National Icon in October 2022. Presently engaged in promoting his upcoming project ‘Main Atal Hoon,’ where he portrays former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Tripathi recently shared his interest in politics. In an interview with ANI, he mentioned, “Everyone is a politician in Bihar.”

Tripathi, who was part of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) during his college days in Bihar, revealed that he had not considered entering politics at that time. He said, “I never thought about entering politics at that time. There was a thought that I might proceed in this line but then there was an arrest and the cops beat me up so I left that thought there and then. At the same time, I became inclined towards plays and dramas and after watching those, I got more attracted towards theatre.”

During the trailer launch of ‘Main Atal Hoon,’ Tripathi discussed his interest in politics and preparations for portraying Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He shared a humorous anecdote from his college days with the ABVP, mentioning, “I was in a youth wing. I have participated in andolans. I was even jailed for a week! Toh main uss raaste pe nikal chuka tha. Then I realised that the path of politics is full of thorns. Hence, I took a turn and started developing an interest in street theatre. There was Kaildas Rangalaya, Patna where I enrolled myself. Mujhe laga ki yeh behtar hai. Yahaan kam se kam bol ke acting hoti hai ki ‘main acting kar raha hoon.'”

Directed by Ravi Jadhav, ‘Main Atal Hoon’ is set to be released on January 19. Tripathi expressed his honor in bringing Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s story to the silver screen, stating, “More than the film, the journey of playing Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee is really close to my heart. The man is truly a legend, and we are honoured to bring his inspiring story to the world. I hope audiences appreciate our efforts to bring in the legacy of Atal ji onto the big screens.” The film is produced by Bhanushali Studios Limited and Legend Studios, with Vinod Bhanushali, Sandeep Singh, Sam Khan, and Kamlesh Bhanushali as backers.