In an interview Veteran actor and former BJP leader Dharmendra has said that he would not have allowed his son Sunny Deol to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Gurdaspur in Punjab had he known Deol was up against Congress MP Sunil Jakhar.

He said "Balram Jakhar was like my brother. Had I known his son Sunil Jakhar was contesting from Gurdaspur, I would have not allowed Sunny to contest against him. He added saying that the Congress candidate is like his son. However, the veteran actor said that nothing could be changed as the electoral contest was already under way. Balram Jakhar was a former Lok Sabha speaker.

Responding to Sunil Jakhar's challenge to Deol to debate on matters that concern local people Dharmendra said that "Sunny cannot debate Sunil has experience of politics and his father was also a politician. We are from the film industry."

In 2004, Dharmendra had refused to contest the Lok Sabha elections against Balram Jakhar from Churu in Rajasthan. That year he won the polls from Bikaner.

Polling will be held in Gurdaspur on May 19 in the seventh and last phase of the elections. Results for all seven phases will be declared on May 23.

Punjab will head to the polls in the last phase of the Lok Sabha elections.