Pawan Singh, BJP's pick from Bengal's Asansol Lok Sabha seat, says he won't contest polls

In a shocking announcement, Bhojpuri singer Pawan Singh, BJP's pick from Bengal's Asansol Lok Sabha seat, says he won't contest Lok Sabha polls. BJP had announced Pawan's name for Asansol Lok Sabha seat in West Bengal.

"I express heartfelt gratitude to the leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party. The party has announced my name as the candidate for Asansol, but unfortunately, due to some reasons, I will not be able to contest the election from Asansol," Pawan announced on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Why Pawan Singh pulled out his name for Asansol?

As per reports, there was backlash on Pawan Singh's videos on social media. The selection of 38-year-old Singh, hailing from Bihar, for the Bengal constituency stirred significant controversy. Critics highlighted his music songs, containing contentious references to Bengali women. The backlash on social media may have been the reason behind the surprising announcement. Subsequently, a decision was made to withdraw his candidacy, which Singh confirmed via a tweet.

Renowned as the "power star" of the Bhojpuri industry, Pawan Singh has featured hits like ‘Raja Ji’, ‘Hari Hari Odhni’, and 'Pudina Ae Hasina'. His career skyrocketed with the release of 'Lollypop Lagelu' in 2008, a chart-topping track that earned him accolades, including the Best Male Singer award at the International Bhojpuri Film Awards in 2016. There were also reports that Pawan was also not apparently more interested in contesting from UP.

Reacting to this development, TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee hailed this as a victory of people of Bengal. "The INDOMITABLE SPIRIT AND POWER OF THE PEOPLE OF WEST BENGAL," Banerjee said on X.



Taking a dig, Derek O'Brien said: "This is Khela Hobe even before the khela begins


"Since yesterday, Pawan Singh's nomination from Asansol generated significant attention on social media. He was anticipated to encounter a challenging contest against TMC's likely candidate Shatrughan Sinha. It's important to mention that TMC has not yet revealed its candidates for the elections. In response to Pawan Singh's candidature, Shatrughan Sinha commented, “This is an internal affair of their party (BJP). I have best wishes for everyone. Many here in Asansol believe that they (BJP) are looking out for not just themselves but for the opposition and TMC also. I congratulate them for this thinking.”

In the 2019 polls, Babul Supriyo, representing BJP, secured victory against TMC's Moon Moon Sen in Asansol. Babul Supriyo clinched victories in 2014 and 2019 before switching allegiance to the Trinamool Congress.