Lok Sabha Elections 2024: BJP bets big on Bhojpuri stars but Pawan Singh steps back
(From L-R): Pawan Kumar, Manoj Tiwari and Ravi Kishan
Lok Sabha Elections 2024: As India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party released its first list of candidates for the upcoming General Elections on Saturday (Feb 2), the limelight first went to the stars of regional cinema who have been named BJP candidates. The BJP hasplaced the stars of Bhojpuri entertainment world, mostly based out of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh, to potentially take on the political titans of our times.
Also read |Lok Sabha Elections 2024: BJP's first list puts focus on continuity, winnability | Top points
Take a look at Bhojpuri stars named as BJP candidates in the party's first list.
Pawan Singh
Bhojpuri singer and actor Pawan Singh, popular for his hit song "Lollipop Lagelu' was named as the candidate from the Asansol constituency in West Bengal. But on Sunday (March 3), Singh wrote on social media that he would not be able to contest the elections from Asansol.
"I express my heartfelt gratitude to the top leadership of Bharatiya Janata Party. The party trusted me and declared me as the candidate from Asansol but due to some reason I will not be able to contest the elections from Asansol…," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
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The constituency is currently represented by Shatrughan Sinha, a veteran Bollywood actor who switched from the BJP to TMC.
Asansol was won by singer Babul Supriyo on a BJP ticketin the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, defeating the Trinamool Congress' Moon Moon Sen.
Supriyo resigned from the seat and joined the Trinamool Congress.
Subsequently in 2022, Shatrughan Sinha secured a win in the Lok Sabha by-elections from Asansol.
Dinesh Lal Yadav a.k.a. 'Nirahua'
The Bhojpuri star has been named BJP candidate from Azamgarh, a stronghold of the Samajwadi Party and previously represented by late socialist leader Mulayam Singh Yadav.
In the 2022 by-elections, Nirahua defeated Samajwadi Party's Dharmendra Yadav with a margin of about 9,000 votes.
Notably, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav won from Azamgarh in 2019 but relinquished the seat after being elected as an MLA from Karhal constituency in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly elections.
Ravindra Shyamnarayan Shukla a.k.a. Ravi Kishan
Bhojpuri star Ravindra Shyamnarayan Shukla, popularly known as Ravi Kishan, has been named the BJP candidate from Gorakhpur. The constituency was represented by the current Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath until he was chosen as state CM in 2017.
Also watch |BJP finalises its first 195 candidates from 16 states for Lok Sabha Polls 2024 | BJP Candidate List
"I want to thank the top leadership wholeheartedly... The organization gave me a second chance from the hottest seat after Kashi. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the entire organization and Prime Minister Modi. I will maintain this trust...BJP will win 400 seats and Gorakhpur seat will create history," Ravi Kishan said.
Manoj Tiwari
The two-time serving MP from NortheastDelhi will be contesting from the same constituency for the third time in a row on a BJP ticket.
Tiwari, a former president of Delhi BJP, secured victory in the NortheastDelhi constituency in 2019, by defeating former Delhi chief minister and Congress candidate Sheila Dixit.
Hailing from Bihar, Tiwari is widely recognised as a prominent face of the BJP in Delhi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third consecutive termin the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. With 195 candidates from across 16 states announced on Saturday (Mar 2), the BJP continues its attempts to strike a balance between the old guard and new faces.