Bhojpuri singer Pawan Singh set to return to BJP fold ahead of Bihar election, year after Bengal fiasco and expulsion
In 2024, Pawan Singh withdrew candidature from Asansol in Bengal after row over songs on women; later contested from a Bihar seat as Independent, was expelled
Bhojpuri singer-actor Pawan Singh's meetings with union home minister Amit Shah and BJP chief JP Nadda in quick succession have set off speculation that he will be back in the fold of the party or the wider NDA to contest the upcoming Bihar assembly election.
This comes a year after he was expelled from the party after two consecutive controversies.
The first one was after he was given the BJP's LS poll ticket from Asansol in neighbouring West Bengal — an area with a large number of migrants among the voters — but he opted out after the state's ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) pointed towards his songs that have “objectified” Bengali women over the years. He withdrew his name without giving a reason.
But he was expelled by the BJP after he decided to contest the Lok Sabha election as an independent candidate from Bihar’s Karakat instead. He lost but got significant votes.
Where will singer Pawan Singh contest from?
Now he is likely to be the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) candidate from one of seven assembly seats in Bihar’s Bhojpur region. Ara or Barhara could be it.
Before meeting top BJP leaders, he met another NDA constituent, Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) chief and Rajya Sabha member Upendra Kushwaha, who had finished third in Karakat and had indirectly blamed the BJP and Pawan Singh's candidature for his defeat at the time, HT has reported.
Pawan had come second in Karakat in the 2024 LS polls behind Raja Ram Singh of the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation, with Kushwaha standing third.
“Kushwaha has given blessings. In the upcoming [assembly] election, Pawan will work for the NDA as a BJP worker,” said BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde, who attended both meetings. He said Pawan Singh is with the BJP and will remain so.
He had also met former Ara Lok Sabha member RK Singh as part of his efforts to return to the party, sources told HT.
‘When did we separate?’
Asked about whether he will join the BJP again after meeting Nadda, Pawan Singh said as per news agency ANI: “When did we separate? We are together.”
Ranu Singh, Pawan Singh’s brother, said upfront the singer wants to be the NDA candidate from Bhojpur region. “Let us see what the party [BJP] decides.”
He added that if Pawan Singh gets a ticket, it will have an impact on all seats of the Sahabad region (Bhojpur, Buxar, Kaimur, and Shahabad districts).
This is a key area for the ruling JDU-BJP or NDA alliance.
Why Pawan Singh matters: Rajput factor
In the 2020 assembly contest, the NDA could win only two of 22 seats in the region.
Even in 2024, Pawan Singh’s move to contest as an Independent divided the Rajput votes, not only contributing to NDA candidate Kushwaha’s loss, but to its loss on all four Lok Sabha seats in the wider Sahabad region.
Rajputs have historically been core BJP supporters. The reconciliation between Pawan Singh and Kushwaha is seen as a part of the NDA’s efforts to consolidate Rajput and Koeri votes ahead of the Bihar elections.
The Rajputs are concentrated primarily in the western and northern parts of Bihar, with a significant presence in Aurangabad, Buxar, Arrah, Vaishali, Sheohar, Siwan, Gopalganj, and Motihari (East Champaran).
