Mumbai (PTI): TV actor Gaurav Khanna is the winner of the popular reality TV show “Bigg Boss” season 19 after he beat rival Farrhana Bhatt to claim the trophy.

Show host and Bollywood superstar Salman Khan presented Khanna with the prize money of over Rs 50 lakh and the trophy.

"It is yet to sink in. It is very surreal for me now. I received so much of love. What I love about it that I didn't change a bit. I am the same when I went inside the house and came out and people like that (quality) a lot. I didn't change or faked anything," Khanna told PTI in an interview,

The TV star, known for his roles in "Anupama" and "CID", said the turning point was when the the superstar host expressed his desire to work with him.

"I cried at that very moment," he added.

Asked what he will do with the winning amount, Khanna said he will take the advantage of his MBA degree and invest it wisely.

The season 19 of the show, which kickstarted on August 24, saw Bhatt emerge as the first runner-up.

Bhatt, who has acted in movies like "Laila Majnu" and "Notebook", said she is happy that she got a chance to win many hearts while on the show.

"I never had my eyes on trophy. I was just going with the flow, doing my best and trying to contribute 100 per cent. When I came out and saw the love of the people, I didn't feel the sadness of not winning the trophy. I was like whoever wants to win trophy can win, I have won hearts outside. So I am very happy and I not sad at all," she said.

The stand-up comedian Pranit More ended up in the third spot.

Content creator Tanya Mittal was at the four position and composer Amaal Malik settled at the fifth place.

The highlights of “Bigg Boss 19” was the spiritual content creator Mittal who found a new fame inside the house due to her distinct equation with each housemates.

The grand finale also saw Bollywood star Kartik Aryan promote his upcoming film "Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri" along with the co-star Ananya Pandey. TV actor Karan Kundrra and Sunny Leone, and Bhojpuri star Pawan Singh also marked their attendance.

At the beginning of the show, Khan thanked “Big Boss” fans and followers for their love and support for the contestants.

Khan also paid tribute to late superstar Dharmendra. Khan, who shared a personal bond with Dharmendra, said there won't be any one like the late superstar who gave 60 years of entertainment.

An emotional Khan said he lost Dharmendra on his father Salim Khan's birthday which was on 24th October.

This season of "Bigg Boss" had a blend of actors, influencers, musicians, and reality stars.

Awez Darbar, Ashnoor Kaur, Kunickaa Sadanand, Mridul Tiwari, Basheer Ali, Abhishek Bajaj, Zeishan Quadri, Nehal Chudasama, Nagma Mirajkar and Neelam Giri were also among the participants of season 19.

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Bengaluru/Belagavi (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Monday blamed the Centre for the maize growers' problems in the state.

Speaking to reporters on the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha premises in Bengaluru ahead of the Legislative session in Belagavi, he also took a dig at the BJP MPs for keeping mum on the issue.

"The Centre has to answer to the problems of North Karnataka. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and I have taken some strong decisions pertaining to maize procurement which will burden the state government financially, but the Centre has not spoken a word on the issue and the BJP MPs have not raised their voice. Aren't they concerned about it," Shivakumar asked.

The Deputy CM also hit out at the Haveri MP and former CM Basavaraj Bommai for not speaking on the matter.

"Bommai has said that the state government has to buy it, but what's Centre's share? Who decides the Minimum Support Price (MSP)? It's they (Centre) who decide MSP. They have not taken any decision yet," Shivakumar alleged.

He added that the state government will give compensation to the farmers, but the Centre is also responsible.

"Why hasn't Bommai raised the issue in parliament? Why he did not meet the PM and agriculture minister," he asked.

The maize growers have been demanding procurement at Rs 3,000 per quintal.

The current MSP is Rs 2,400 per quintal, and farmers are seeking a Rs 600 bonus. Ahead of the session, the state government announced increasing maize procurement from 20 quintals per farmer to 50 quintals at Rs 2,400 per quintal.

On irrigation related issues, Shivakumar said no one has done as much work as the Congress government has done in the history of the irrigation department of Karnataka.

Meanwhile, the Opposition Leader in the Karnataka Assembly, R Ashoka, charged that the government has become so poor that it is not able to replace the crust gates of the Tungabhadra dam.

"While farmers are committing suicide, the government is in a jolly mood arranging breakfast meetings," Ashoka said while interacting with reporters in Belagavi.

BJP state president B Y Vijayendra said there is a need for discussion on the burning issues of the state during the winter session of the Karnataka Legislature.

"Farmers are in distress due to the bad policies of the state government. It also failed to fulfill its promise to create jobs for unemployed youths.Weavers are also facing challenges," the Shikaripura MLA told reporters in Belagavi.