Exactly 10 days after he announced not to contest Lok Sabha polls, Bhojpuri actor-singer Pawan Singh has made a U-turn today and said that he will contest from the Asansol seat on a BJP ticket.
On 2 March, the name of Bhojpuri star Pawan Singh was announced in the first list, which included the names of 195 candidates. Since then BJP has not yet announced its second list.
A day after his name was announced Pawan Singh declined from contesting from Asansol due to personal reasons. Speculation was rife that another Bhojpuri film actress Akshara Singh will replace him in Asansol.
The BJP hasn’t started writing poll graffiti till now date after Pawan Singh announced that he will not contest the polls.
In his X handle today, Pawan Singh announced his rethink on contesting polls to fulfil the wishes of his mother and voters.
Incidentally, Pawan Singh has also contested polls from Uttar Pradesh unsuccessfully. The BJP had fielded him from Asansol with the large Hindi-speaking local population in mind.
The Trinamul Congress has already announced the name of the sitting MP Shatrughan Sinha as its candidate. Mr Sinha at present is very much busy with his election campaign in all the seven Assembly constituencies under the seat.
It is now to be seen whether the BJP now allows him to file nominations or announces another name from Asansol.
The BJP is trying to wrest the Asansol LS seat from the Trinamul. But after Bollywood singer Babul Supriyo quit, the party has lost much of its organisational strength and lost by over three lakh votes in the 2022 by-election.
State minister Babul Supriyo, Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghosh and former MP Mahua Moitra have all criticised the BJP for nominating Pawan Singh as the candidate stating that his songs have been abusive to the women of Bengal.