The Election Commission of India will appoint actor RajKummar Rao as its National Icon on October 26 ahead of the upcoming polls in five states.
Over 161 million people in the five states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Telangana will vote in assembly elections next month, the Election Commission of India announced earlier this month.
As per the announcement, polling will begin on November 7 and will conclude on November 30 while the results will be declared on December 3.
The voting will take place in sigle phase in MP, Rajasthan, Telangana and Mizoram and in two phases in Chhattisgarh.
The poll body appoints prominent Indians as national icons to motivate voters to participate in elections.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar will formally appoint Rao as a National Icon of the EC on Thursday.
Rao's character in the few 'Newton' essayed the role of a principled government clerk determined to conduct a free-and-fair election in the Naxal-affected areas of Chhattisgarh, overcoming the cynicism and apathy of a security officer, won accolades.
The movie won the National Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi and was also India's nominee for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 90th Academy Awards, popularly known as Oscars.
Earlier, the EC recognised actors Pankaj Tripathi, Aamir Khan and sportspersons, such as Sachin Tendulkar, M S Dhoni and M C Mary Kom, as national icons.
Earlier this year, the EC signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Tendulkar for three years. As part of this three-year agreement, Tendulkar would be engaged to increase voter awareness. The collaboration intended to tackle the challenges posed by urban and youth disinterest in the electoral process.
The EC said Tendulkar would play a significant role in making voters understand their electoral rights and responsibilities. In 2022, the commission appointed actor Pankaj Tripathi as a national icon.