New Delhi: Actor Pankaj Tripathi has stepped down from the position of the National Icon of the Election Commission of India. He took the “voluntary” decision because he is portraying former prime minister and late BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the latter’s upcoming biopic.

The Election Commission of India said in a statement that he “voluntarily stepped down” acknowledging his role as a political leader in the upcoming film.

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,” read a statement on the social media handle of ECI, posted by Spokesperson ECI on X.

The Election Commission had roped him as the National Icon in October 2022.

Tripathi, a renowned actor known for his versatility, is portraying the iconic BJP politician in his upcoming project ‘Main Atal Hoon’.

Pankaj Tripathi had revealed in an old interview that he was a member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in college.

The actor had 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.”

Main Atal Hoon will be released on January 19.

Tripathi recently said Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a legend and he was honoured to bring his inspirational story to the world.

Pankaj Tripathi won the National Film Award – Special Mention for his performance in Newton. He won the National Film Award for his performance in Mimi (2021).

With inputs from ANI