Bhojpuri singer and actor Pawan Singh, who had earlier refused the BJP’s offer to contest the Lok Sabha election as the party’s candidate from the Asansol seat in West Bengal, announced on April 10 that he would stand as an Independent candidate from the Karakat seat in Bihar.
Mr. Singh made the announcement with a post on X, saying, ““Mata Gurutara Bhumeru” means that mother is heavier than this land, and I had promised my mother that I will contest the election this time. I have decided that I will contest the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Karakat, Bihar.”
Outrage over nomination
On March 2, the BJP had announced the names of 20 candidates from West Bengal, including Mr. Singh. The nomination triggered outrage in political circles due to Mr. Singh’s songs, which allegedly denigrate Bengali women, and the content created by the singer. Trinamool Congress leaders, as well as political and social groups, all raised concerns about the nomination, even as Mr. Singh’s album covers and songs went viral on social media.
The singer belongs to Ara in Bihar’s Bhojpur district and was expecting to get a Lok Sabha ticket from there; however, sitting BJP MP R.K. Singh was nominated from Ara. Sources said that, a day after being denied the Ara seat, where he holds substantial support, Mr. Singh withdrew his candidature from the Asansol seat.
On Wednesday, the BJP announced the candidates for 10 Lok Sabha seats; the party has now fielded its sitting MP from Bardhaman-Durgapur as its new candidate from Asansol, which Mr. Singh had spurned.
Karakat calculus
The contest at Karakat in Bihar’s Rohtas district has become interesting after Mr. Singh’s entry. The ruling National Democratic Alliance has fielded former Union Minister and Rashtriya Lok Manch leader Upendra Kushwaha from Karakat, while the Opposition has fielded Rajaram Singh of the Communist Party of India (Marxist Leninist).
In 2019, the Karakat seat was won by the Janata Dal (United) candidate Mahabali Singh, who had secured 3.98 lakh votes against Mr. Kushwaha’s 3.14 lakh votes. However, the sitting MP has been dropped this time round.
Karakat will only go to the polls in the seventh phase of voting, on June 1. The Lok Sabha seat includes six Assembly constituencies — Nokha, Dehri-On-Sone, Karakat, Goh, Obra, and Nabinagar — of which four are in Rohtas district, with the remaining two located in Aurangabad district.
