Days After Denying, Bhojpuri Star Pawan Singh To Contest Lok Sabha Elections; Was Given BJP Ticket From West Bengal's Asansol

Bhojpuri star Pawan Singh declared on Wednesday (13 March) that he would contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Earlier, he had denied contesting a day after getting a ticket from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"I will contest elections to fulfill the promise made to my society, people and mother. Your blessings and cooperation are expected. Jai mata di (Hail mother Goddess)," he posted on X.

In BJP's first list of 195 candidates, Pawan Singh was given a ticket from West Bengal's Asansol, along with three other Bhojpuri stars, who already are sitting BJP MPs.

Singh had even made two posts on X, one thanking the BJP for nominating him and the other accusing the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government of not implementing the Narendra Modi government's schemes.

However, he denied contesting hours after these posts. While he did not state the reasons for this, it was speculated that his denial was due to an outrage created by TMC over his work in Bhojpuri cinema.

The Asansol seat was won by Babul Supriyo on the BJP ticket in 2014 and 2019 and by Shatrughan Singh in the 2022 by-polls on the TMC ticket. TMC has again declared Sinha as a candidate from here.

However, it is not clear whether Pawan Singh will still be contesting from Asansol or elsewhere. After receiving the ticket, Singh highlighted his connection with Asansol.