A day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released its first list of Lok Sabha candidates, which featured the name of Bhojpuri artist Pawan Singh from West Bengal's Asansol, the actor-singer said on Sunday, 3 March, that he was opting out of the race amid severe backlash.
"I thank the BJP leadership for trusting me and announcing my name as the candidate from Asansol, but I won't be able to contest the election for some reason," he took to X to say.
Controversy surrounding Singh's selection: The choice of 38-year-old Singh for the Asansol seat, which is currently held by Trinamool Congress leader Shatrughan Sinha, had kicked up a firestorm. Shortly after his name was announced, several TMC leaders took to social media to point out that many of his songs included references which were allegedly offensive towards Bengali women.
Following Singh's announcement to withdraw from the race, TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee attributed the decision to the "indomitable spirit and people of of West Bengal"
TMC leader Derek O'Brien also reacted to Singh's decision with the party's famous slogan, "Khela Hobe".
Who is Pawan Singh? Singh, known best for his song ‘Lollypop Lagelu’, is one of the biggest singers of the Bhojpuri film industry. The song even earned him the award for best male singer at the International Bhojpuri Film Awards in 2016.
Several other hits of his, which made it to the top of several music charts, include 'Raja ji', 'Hari Hari Odhni', and 'Pudina Ae Hasina'.
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