KOLKATA: Veteran Hindi star and National Award winning actor Mithun Chakraborty added star power to the Bengal unit of the BJP by joining the saffron party at Brigade Parade Grounds, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally on Sunday.

The actor was welcomed into the party by BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya and state president Dilip Ghosh among others who presented the party stole.

The actor who will turn 71 this year, said that he had always wanted to work for the underprivileged,and the party gave him the platform to fulfil his aspirations. He also stated that he was proud to be a Bengali. Speaking in Bengali the actor drew huge cheers from the crowds.

Last month, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat met the actor at his Mumbai residence, setting off speculations that he might join the BJP.

After a successful stint in Bollywood until the 1990's, the actor went slow on movies, acting in character roles occasionally. The actor is known to have a successful business in hotels and tourism in Ooty.

He came into Bengal politics after Mamata Banerjee's invited him into the Trinamool Congress (TMC). He was sent to the Rajya Sabha by the TMC in 2014, but the Saradha ponzi scam affected his image as he was the brand ambassador of the tainted group in Bengal and resigned from the seat in 2016 citing health reasons.

Actor Mithun Chakraborty joins BJP at PM Shri @narendramodi's rally at Brigade Parade Ground, Kolkata.#ModirSatheBrigade pic.twitter.com/gvIMfmmNFb
— BJP (@BJP4India) March 7, 2021