Bhojpuri star Pawan Singh takes U-turn, says will contest Lok Sabha elections
Bhojpuri actor-singer Pawan Singh had withdrawn his BJP candidature from Asansol after facing attacks by TMC over his songs.
Bhojpuri actor-singer Pawan Singh, who had withdrawn his BJP candidature from Asansol in West Bengal, took a U-turn on Wednesday saying he will contest the Lok Sabha polls.
“I will contest elections to fulfill the promise made to the people and my mother. I seek your blessings and cooperation. Jai Mata Di,” the actor said in a social post on X.
Singh had opted out from the Lok Sabha poll contest after the Trinamool Congress had targeted the BJP, alleging several songs sung by the Bhojpuri star made ‘lewd and uncivilised’ remarks about Bengali women.
The Bhojpuri actor, who featured in the first list of 195 candidates announced by the BJP, had said in an X post,"I express my heartfelt gratitude to the top leadership of Bharatiya Janata Party. The party trusted me and declared me the candidate from Asansol but due to some personal reason, I will not be able to contest the election from Asansol."
The Lok Sabha constituency is currently represented by veteran actor and politician Shatrughan Sinha of the Trinamool Congress. He will be contesting from the same seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
When asked about Pawan Singh's earlier decision saying he will not contest, Sinha had said,"I don’t know him personally but have heard that he is a great artist and singer. Some of our people know him very well. It's their (BJP's) internal affair."
Singh, also known as ‘Power Star’ in the Bhojpuri film industry, had joined the BJP in 2014. He has earned accolades for his performances in films like Pratigya, Satya and Har Har Gange.
