Hyderabad, January 1: Renowned South Indian actor Prakash Raj confirmed his intentions to contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on the first day of New Year. Raj stated that he would not join a party but contest as an independent candidate. However, he refrained from confirming the constituency now.

Sharing his confirmation, Raj took to Twitter on Tuesday and wrote, “HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE..a new beginning .. more responsibility.. with UR support I will be contesting in the coming parliament elections as an INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE. Details of the constituency soon.” Known for his wittiest statements, the actor signed off saying, “Ab ki baar Janatha ki SARKAR in Parliament too”. Celebs Who Entered Politics in 2018: Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth Begin Political Careers; BJP Looks to Rope in Madhuri Dixit, Mohanlal For 2019 Lok Sabha Elections.

Earlier, the actor had expressed his opposition against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has been critical of the Bharatiya Janata Party government. He had even campaigned during the Karnataka elections last year under the banner “just asking” – a movement raising awareness among people to ask questions.

Raj came to the political limelight after he stood tall against the killing of his friend and journalist Gauri Lankesh in 2017. He had been vocal several times against the government and had stated that due to this Bollywood has stopped offering roles.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 01, 2019 09:52 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).