If Mithun Chakraborty wants to contest, BJP will put him in the fray: Kailash Vijayvargiya

Amid speculation about Mithun Chakraborty contesting the West Bengal Assembly polls, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya on Friday said if the actor wants to contest, the party will put him in the fray.

"Earlier, I had spoken to Mithun Chakraborty and he refused to contest the elections. If the party decides to put him in the fray, we will talk to Mithun Da. And, if he wants to contest the election, then we will make him contest," Vijayvargiya told .

Chakraborty joined the BJP at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's election rally at the Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata on March 7.

While joining BJP, Chakraborty said his dream came true when he shared the stage with the Prime Minister. "I had never imagined that I will be sharing the dais where the biggest leader of the biggest democracy, our beloved PM Narendra Modi is going to speak. I always had a dream to work for the poor and downtrodden. Now, it is being fulfilled," he had said at the Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata.

Meanwhile, Chakraborty has been provided 'Y+' security by the Centre. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has initiated the process of providing him with security, sources said.

The actor-turned-politician has also been placed among the top campaigners for the party for the forthcoming Assembly polls in West Bengal.

Chakraborty, 70, was a Rajya Sabha MP for the Trinamool Congress (TMC) for two years. He resigned from the position in 2016 citing health reasons after his name surfaced in the Saradha ponzi scam.

West Bengal Assembly elections will be held in eight phases starting from March 27 with the final round of voting taking place on April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

The state is likely to witness a triangular contest this time with TMC, Congress-Left alliance and the BJP in the fray.

( With inputs from ANI )