MEERUT: Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from Meerut and popular 'Ramayana' actor Arun Govil said on Friday that he has full hope that the BJP will cross 400 seats in Lok Sabha polls 2024.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has replaced three-term MP Rajendra Agarwal and pitted Ramayana actor Arun Govil against Samajwadi Party's Sunita Verma and BSP's Devratt Kumar.

"I want to tell people to cast their vote. We must exercise our vote. We have full hope that this time the BJP will cross 400," he said as the voting is underway in the constituency.

Further, responding to the opposition's allegations that he is an outsider contesting from the Meerut seat, Govil said, "I was born and brought up and even did my studies here, so how am I an outsider?"

The Meerut Lok Sabha seat is likely to see a triangular contest among the BJP, the opposition INDIA bloc and the Bahujan Samaj Party.

The BJP is relying on Arun Govil's popularity as the actor who portrayed Ram in the immensely popular "Ramayana" serial on Doordarshan in mid 1980's.

Along with Meerut, voting is underway at Amroha, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, and Mathura constituencies in the state in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections.

Earlier, voting began at 7am on Friday in 88 constituencies spread across 13 states and Union Territories in the second phase of the 18th Lok Sabha elections.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today called on people to participate in voting in large numbers and emphasised that every vote counts.The PM especially encouraged young and female voters to participate in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections.

"Urging everyone in constituencies voting today, in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections, to participate in record numbers. A high voter turnout strengthens our democracy. I especially urge our young voters and women voters to turn out in great numbers. Your vote is your voice!" the PM said in a post on X.