Prakash Raj: My resolve to fight for secular India will continue

Mr Raj, who contested in the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha seat as an independent candidate faced defeat. He got 28,915 votes as per the data available on the Election Commission website at 4.20 pm.

Even though he admitted that his defeat was "a solid slap on my face", actor Prakash Raj, yet, vowed to continue his "fight for secular India". He tweeted, "A solid slap on my face... as more abuse... troll... and humiliation come my way... I will stand my ground... my resolve to fight for secular India will continue... a tough journey has just begun... thank you everyone who were with me in this journey. Jai Hind."

Mr Raj got into politics in September 2017 after the murder of his friend and journalist Gauri Lankesh by suspected Hindutva activists. After the cold-blooded murder, he started tweeting a series of questions — under the hashtag #justasking — most of them pointing at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

After a few months, he announced his decision to fight the Lok Sabha election. He decided to fight as an Independent candidate instead of joining the anti-Modi Opposition formation.