Day after being nominated from West Bengal’s Asansol seat, Pawan Singh says ‘won’t be able to contest’
Pawan Singh, a Bhojpuri singer-actor, withdrew his name from the Lok Sabha election race in Asansol, West Bengal, a day after his nomination by the BJP for the seat currently held by Trinamool Congress’ Shatrughan Sinha.
Singh, in a social media post, expressed gratitude for the BJP’s nomination but cited personal reasons for his withdrawal.
“I express my heartfelt gratitude to the top leadership of Bharatiya Janata Party. The party trusted me and declared me as the candidate from Asansol but due to some reason I will not be able to contest the elections from Asansol,” he wrote in a post on X.
While Singh did not provide specifics, his candidacy faced criticism from the TMC, which accused his songs of being crude and disrespectful to women, especially those from West Bengal.
Asansol, home to a substantial migrant population, was considered a critical battleground for the BJP, which hoped Singh would pose a formidable challenge to Sinha.
However, amid the controversy surrounding Singh’s nomination and the party’s focus on issues like the Sandeshkhali incident, where TMC leaders were accused of sexual assault and land grabbing, the BJP seemingly urged Singh to step aside.
Numerous women in Sandeshkhali accused suspended TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh and his group of sexual assault and land grabbing. Sheikh and several others have been arrested in connection with these accusations.