In Patna, the expulsion of Bhojpuri luminary Pawan Singh from the BJP occurred due to his participation in the Lok Sabha election, opposing an endorsed NDA candidate, thereby harming the party’s standing. Singh, now contesting as an Independent in Bihar’s Karakat constituency, has complicated the electoral landscape for ex-Union minister Upendra Kushwaha, a constituent of the NDA contesting under the emblem of his Rashtriya Lok Morcha. The directive to oust Singh emanated from Arvind Sharma, the BJP’s Bihar headquarters in charge, acting upon instructions from state president Samrat Choudhary.
Singh’s expulsion letter cited him for “anti-party endeavors” and “disorderliness,” admonishing him for damaging the party’s image by contesting against the NDA’s endorsed contender. Despite attempts to contact Singh for his response, he remained inaccessible.
This delayed action by the party comes with just over a week left before voting in Karakat on June 1. Significantly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi plans to conduct three rallies in Bihar on May 25, including one in the Karakat constituency.
Singh, a longstanding BJP member, declined a party ticket from Asansol in West Bengal a month ago, where fellow Bihari and actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha is seeking reelection under the Trinamool Congress banner. Singh withdrew following controversy over his allegedly misogynistic song lyrics, which denigrated Bengalis.
Having unsuccessfully pursued a ticket from Ara, Singh eventually contested from the adjacent Karakat constituency. Speculation arose that he might have garnered support from a faction within the state BJP concerned about the potential dilution of the party’s OBC outreach by promoting leaders like Kushwaha.
When queried about Singh, Kushwaha insinuated that the singer-actor might be backed by the RJD, the primary opposition party. However, RJD sources dismissed this, asserting support for ally CPI(ML) Liberation’s candidate Raja Ram. They acknowledged that Singh’s candidacy could benefit the INDIA bloc by splitting votes within his Rajput community, typically BJP supporters.
Despite initial hesitation, Singh persisted in his candidacy, despite his mother, Pratima Devi, also entering the race as an Independent. There were speculations that Singh might withdraw under pressure from the BJP, especially with his mother remaining in contention. However, his mother quietly withdrew her nomination while Singh chose to remain in the fray.