Why Bihar's Pawan Singh Was Given A BJP Ticket From Bengal's Asansol?

The BJP aimed at reclaiming the Asansol seat by nominating Pawan Singh and capitalizing on his popularity as a Bhojpuri singer.

New Delhi: Popular Bhojpuri singer Pawan Singh withdrew his name from the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections just a day after it was announced in the BJP's first list for the Asansol parliamentary constituency in West Bengal. 

Taking to the microblogging site the singer confirmed that he was pulling out of the contest "due to some reason". "I express my heartfelt gratitude to the top leadership of Bharatiya Janata Party. The party trusted me and declared me as the candidate from West Bengal's Asansol but due to some reason, I will not be able to contest the elections from Asansol," Singh posted from his official X handle .

Why Was Pawan Singh Chosen to Contest the Asansol Seat in West Bengal?

Firstly, the significant migrant population in Asansol and Singh's popularity, especially among Bihari natives due to his Bhojpuri songs, serve as advantageous factors in garnering votes. Another crucial aspect of Singh's candidacy in Asansol is his competition with Shatrughan Sinha, the candidate from the Trinamool Congress Party.

Sinha, also hailing from Bihar and formerly a BJP member, departed from the party in 2019 and successfully won the Asansol seat in the bypolls of 2022.

Historically, the Asansol seat had been held by the BJP in 2014 and 2019, with Babul Supriyo serving as the Member of Parliament on two occasions. Additionally, Supriyo held a ministerial position in the Modi government but resigned in 2021, subsequently joining the TMC. Following this transition, the seat became vacant upon his election as an MLA.

In the subsequent by-election, Shatrughan Sinha of the TMC dealt a significant blow to his former party, the BJP, by securing victory over the BJP candidate. The Bharatiya Janata Party aimed to regain this seat, thus nominating Pawan Singh to leverage his popularity. While the TMC has not officially nominated Shatrughan Sinha for the upcoming elections from the seat, the BJP is prepared to offer him a formidable challenge.