Malvika Sood Sachar, sister of actor-philanthropist Sonu Sood, joined the Indian National Congress party on Monday, ahead of the Punjab assembly polls, which are scheduled to take place in February.
Navjot Singh Sidhu, former cricketer and current president of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, termed the development a “game-changer.” He also tweeted, “Proud to be associated with one of the greatest philanthropists of our times, the party feels proud to have them on board.“
“Sonu Sood is known all over the world for his humanity and kindness, and today a member from that family is joining us,” Sidhu further said, while addressing the media.
On Tuesday, Sood took to Twitter to wish his sister luck. “As my sister Malvika Sood embarks on her political journey, I wish her the best and can’t wait to see her flourish in this new chapter of her life. Good luck Malvika! My own work as an actor and humanitarian continues, without any political affiliations or distractions,” he wrote.
The actor, who has predominantly appeared in Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil cinema, became noted for his philanthropic work when Covid-19 hit India in March 2020. He started by helping thousands of migrant labourers, who were struggling to get back to their hometowns on foot, when the sudden nationwide lockdown was announced. He continued his social work through his ‘Sood Charity Foundation’, including providing assistance to students for online classes and organising oxygen cylinders that were in shortage during the second wave of the pandemic. He also helped organise teams of volunteers to aid patients seeking hospital beds across the country.
In September 2020, Arvind Kejriwal had announced that Sood would be the brand ambassador of the Delhi government’s ‘Desh Ke Mentor’ (Country’s Mentor) programme. While the actor accepted the role, he has thus far not hinted at joining politics.
Recently, in November 2021, Sood had announced that his sister would enter politics and would most likely contest in the upcoming Punjab assembly polls, from their home turf in Moga. However, at that time, it was not clear which political party Sachar would join.
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“My sister Malvika wants to serve the people of Punjab. She has expressed her wish to contest the Punjab polls next year. She wants to return the love and respect that people have showered on our family always. She is prepared to take this next step and her commitment is unparalleled. Doing sewa is the core value of Punjabiyat, which we siblings have grown up with here. The most basic example of this is serving langar (community kitchen),” Sood had said.
Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and the Punjab Youth Congress took to social media to welcome Sachar into the party.