Lok Sabha Polls: A day after being named BJP's Asansol candidate, Pawan Singh opts out

Pawan Singh, a well-known figure in the Bhojpuri entertainment industry, has graced the screen in multiple films, such as "Pratigya," "Dacait," "Ziddi Aashiq," and "Pratigya 2."

A day after he was named the BJP's candidate from Asansol in West Bengal, Bhojpuri singer-actor Pawan Singh on March 3 said he would not be able to contest the Lok Sabha elections, without sharing the reason.

In a brief message on the microblogging site X, Singh thanked the party leadership for placing trust in him and nominating him for the Asansol constituency but expressed inability to contest the poll.

भारतीय जनता पार्टी के शीर्ष नेतृत्व को दिल से आभार प्रकट करता हु।
पार्टी ने मुझ पर विश्वास करके आसनसोल का उम्मीदवार घोषित किया लेकिन किसी कारण वश में आसनसोल से चुनाव नहीं लड़ पाऊंगा…@JPNadda

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— Pawan Singh (@PawanSingh909) March 3, 2024

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Singh, a well-known figure in the Bhojpuri entertainment industry, has acted in several popular films including Pratigya, Dacait, Ziddi Aashiq, and Pratigya 2.

His breakthrough moment came in 2008 with the release of the highly successful album Lollypop Lagelu. He bagged the Best Male Singer award at the International Bhojpuri Film Awards in 2016.

Shortly after Pawan Singh's declaration, Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary, took to X, stating that the singer has been compelled to take such a decision owing to the "indomitable spirit and power" of Bengal's people.

“The INDOMITABLE SPIRIT AND POWER OF THE PEOPLE OF WEST BENGAL,” he wrote on his official X handle, tagging Singh's post.

Banerjee was joined by former Union Minister and Asansol MP Babul Supriyo who noted on his X handle that the BJP put "pressure" on Singh to withdraw from the Lok Sabha race.

Pressure from @BJP4India on him to withdraw citing 'personal reasons' !! It's absolutely impossible that BJP wud name a candidate in their first list without taking his consent or without a detailed discussion with the candidate !! Even today morning we had BJP defending his… https://t.co/ZOUhobV5G5 pic.twitter.com/7Ri0ME9FaU

— Babul Supriyo (@SuPriyoBabul) March 3, 2024

In 2014 and 2019, singer Supriyo won the seat as a BJP candidate but he left the party in 2021 to join the Trinamool Congress. Currently, he is the state Tourism Minister.

Shatrughan Sinha, a former actor turned politician associated with the TMC, is the Asansol MP.

(This is a developing story, please check back later for more updates)