BJP expels singer-turned-politician Pawan Singh for contesting against NDA candidate

PATNA: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) expelled Bhojpuri singer-turned-politician Pawan Singh for running as an independent candidate in the Karakat Lok Sabha constituency, defying the party's official candidate from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Pawan Singh had previously announced his intention to contest the Karakat seat independently, a move that has now led to his expulsion.

In a letter to Singh, the Bihar BJP said, "You are contesting the Lok Sabha elections against the official candidate of the NDA. This act of yours is against the party, which has tarnished the party's image and violated party discipline. Therefore, as per the orders of the Honorable State President, you are expelled from the party for this anti-party activity."

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and state BJP president Samrat Choudhary commented on the decision, saying, "It's obvious if someone contests election against the party, such actions are taken at the party's level."

The Karakat constituency is set to vote on June 1, in the seventh and final phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. The NDA's candidate for this seat is Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) chief Upendra Kushwaha.

Pawan Singh's decision to contest from Karakat follows his withdrawal from the Lok Sabha race on March 3, after previously declining a BJP ticket to run from Asansol in West Bengal. Singh had been considered as a candidate to counter Shatrughan Sinha in Asansol but opted out due to backlash from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) over his controversial music videos and films.

The BJP had selected Surinderjeet Singh Ahluwalia, the sitting MP from the Bardhaman Durgapur Lok Sabha constituency, as its candidate for Asansol after Singh stepped down. Following this, Singh decided to independently contest from Bihar's Karakat constituency.

Notably, the 40 seats in Bihar are undergoing polls in all seven phases. In 2019, BJP-led NDA swept the state by winning 39 out of 40 seats, while Congress won just one seat. RJD, a formidable force in the state failed to open its account.

The Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance), the opposition coalition in Bihar, including Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, and Left parties, recently announced that the RJD, its largest constituent, will contest 26 out of the state's 40 Lok Sabha seats. As part of the NDA, BJP and JD(U) will contest on 17 and 16 seats respectively.

Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) will contest five seats, and Jitan Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) will contest one seat each. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.