Sagarika Ghose from Trinamool Congress revealed on Sunday that Bhojpuri actor-singer Pawan Singh turned down the BJP’s Lok Sabha ticket for Asansol, citing the TMC’s criticism of the “candidate’s sexist, misogynist” videos.
Pawan Singh, the Asansol candidate, expresses inability to participate in Lok Sabha elections in BJP’s first list.
Pawan Singh :-In a message posted on X (formerly Twitter) and directed to BJP president JP Nadda, he mentioned that for some reason, he won’t be able to participate in the elections.
In a significant setback for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Bhojpuri actor and playback singer Pawan Singh declared on Sunday that he would not run in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections from West Bengal’s Asansol. This declaration followed a day after the BJP unveiled its initial list of candidates for the general elections. Nonetheless, he did not disclose the reason behind his decision.
“I want to extend my sincere thanks to the senior leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party. The party showed faith in me by nominating me as the candidate from Asansol. However, due to certain reasons, I regret to inform you that I will not be able to contest the elections from Asansol,” he expressed.
On Saturday, the party finally unveiled its long-awaited initial roster of 195 candidates for the upcoming parliamentary elections.
Pawan Singh, a renowned Bhojpuri actor and playback singer, gained fame for the popular Bhojpuri track “Lollipop Lagelu.”
Pawan Singh, originally from Arrah in Bihar, is affectionately referred to as the “power star” by his fans in the Bhojpuri film industry.
Following the announcement, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose mocked the BJP regarding Singh’s candidacy, stating that the “nari shakti” call in Bengal now stands exposed as hollow and meaningless.
Breaking news. @AITCofficial impact! @BJP4India Asansol candidate withdraws after huge backlash on the candidate’s sexist misogynist videos. The @BJP4India’s “nari shakti” call in Bengal now lies in tatters, revealed for what it is–hollow & meaningless,” she said in a post on X
Meanwhile, the TMC has yet to announce its candidate for Asansol, a seat presently held by Shatrughan Sinha
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, popular singer Babul Supriyo secured this seat with the BJP, defeating TMC’s Moon Moon Sen. However, two years later, he resigned from the position and switched to the TMC. In 2022, Shatrughan Sinha was elected to the Lok Sabha from Asansol.
Apart from Singh, the party revealed three more Bhojpuri actors as its candidates—Manoj Tiwari from North-east Delhi, Ravi Kishan from Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur, and Dinesh Lal Yadav, also known as Nirahua, from Azamgarh.
In its initial list, the BJP disclosed candidates for 20 out of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal.
This time around, the party chose not to offer a ticket to state chief and Nandigram MLA Suvendu Adhikari. Instead, they nominated his younger brother Soumendu Adhikari, who previously served as a Trinamool Congress MP from the Tamluk constituency, to contest from Contai in East Midnapore. Their father Sisir Adhikari currently holds the seat as an MP.