Bollywood singer Anuradha Paudwal joins BJP. Will she contest Lok Sabha elections?

Renowned Bollywood singer Anuradha Paudwal, who has also lent her voice to many devotional albums besides film songs and has garnered widespread acclaim for her melodious singing, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday (Mar 16). The development comes as India's vast electorate is set to exercise their right to vote in the upcoming general elections this year.

The announcement of her joining the party came during a press conference where senior BJP leaders were present to welcome the singer into the party fold. The event took place at the BJP's party's headquarters in the Indian capital of Delhi.

Paudwal, who has been active in the music industry since the 1970s, hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and expressed her happiness to be part of the party led by the PM.

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"I am happy that I am joining the government which has a deep connection with Sanatan (Dharma). It is my good fortune that I am joining BJP today," the singer reportedly said after she joined the saffron party.

WillAnuradha Paudwal contest Lok Sabha elections?

However, it is unclear ifthe singer would be contesting the upcoming elections. Responding to a question on the same, she reportedly said, "I don't know yet, whatever suggestion they give me..."

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BJP's national general secretary Arun Singh and chief spokesperson Anil Baluni were also presentat the event.

Throughout her career, Anuradha Paudwal has recorded songs in various Indian languages, including Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada, Gujarati, Telugu, Tamil, Punjabi, and Malayalam. She has also collaborated with many leading composers and singers in the Indian music industry and has won several prestigious awards for her contributions to music, including the Padma Shri, one of the highest civilian honours in India.

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On January 22, the 69-year-old singer Anuradha Paudwal performed at the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradeshand later described the experience as "out of this world."

BJP has already unveiled its second list of 72 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections, wherein it droppeda minimum of 28 sitting MPs. The party released its first list of 195 candidates on March 2. With the release of the second list, the BJP has finalised its candidates for all constituencies in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, andTripura.

(With inputs from agencies)