Bhojpuri star Pawan Singh is once again aiming to try his luck in the political arena. He desires to contest the Bihar Assembly elections. Singh’s ambition is to contest from Ara as an NDA candidate. However, he first needs the forgiveness of Upendra Kushwaha. If Kushwaha extends his support to Pawan Singh, will the NDA grant him a ticket from Ara? Will Kushwaha’s forgiveness be enough to secure a ticket?
Pawan Singh is scheduled to meet Kushwaha at his Delhi residence today. He will meet with the President of Rashtriya Lok Morcha to resolve any grievances. Kushwaha is opposing Singh’s re-entry into the BJP or NDA fold. If the meeting is successful, Kushwaha might announce Pawan Singh’s entry into the NDA and his joining of the Rashtriya Lok Morcha.
Why will Pawan Singh seek forgiveness?
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had nominated Pawan Singh from Asansol in West Bengal. TMC had fielded Shatrughan Sinha against him. The contest was supposed to be between two Biharis, but Pawan Singh withdrew his candidacy. He insisted on contesting the election from Karakat in Bihar. The BJP stated that this seat had been allocated to its ally, the Rashtriya Lok Morcha. Party leader Upendra Kushwaha was himself going to contest from there.
Then what to do with Pawan? He had two options: either campaign for Kushwaha in Karakat or contest as an independent. He chose the latter. Pawan Singh contested as an independent candidate and significantly dented the NDA’s prospects here. Singh’s entry led to Kushwaha’s defeat. The NDA’s votes were scattered. Raja Ram Singh Kushwaha of the CPI (ML) emerged victorious.
Raja Ram received 380,581 votes, while Pawan Singh, who secured the second position, got 274,723 votes. Upendra Kushwaha finished third with 253,876 votes. Before Pawan Singh entered the fray, the contest was between Kushwaha versus Kushwaha. It is believed that Pawan Singh received votes from the upper castes, considered the BJP’s core vote bank. Singh’s entry caused Kushwaha to lose, leading to his later becoming a Rajya Sabha MP.
During the elections, BJP leader RK Singh had questioned Pawan Singh’s candidacy. He went as far as to say that it would be a rebellion against PM Modi. RK Singh was then the MP from Ara. However, in recent times, RK Singh’s stance on Pawan Singh has changed. He appears to be supporting Pawan Singh for the Bihar elections, stating that Pawan Singh should rejoin the BJP.
Will the BJP forgive?
Even if Upendra Kushwaha forgives Pawan Singh, whether the BJP will also forgive him is a big question. Pawan Singh did not support the BJP during a difficult time. Asansol is a seat where the BJP has had a strong presence. The famous singer Babul Supriyo had won from here on a BJP ticket. He has now joined the TMC. The BJP was looking for a star candidate from here. The party took a chance on Pawan Singh, but he returned the ticket.
After Pawan Singh declined, the BJP fielded SS Ahluwalia. He was up against Shatrughan Sinha. The BJP faced defeat. Shatrughan received 605,645 votes, while Ahluwalia got 546,081 votes. Thus, Pawan Singh caused damage to the BJP not only in the Karakat seat but also in the Asansol seat.
Will the BJP relinquish the Ara seat?
If Kushwaha forgives, Pawan Singh’s path to joining the Rashtriya Lok Morcha will be clear. After this, the battle will begin over the candidacy in Ara. The BJP will not easily let go of the Ara seat, as it has been a stronghold for them. The BJP’s dominance in Ara started in 2000 when it won four consecutive elections.
However, in 2015, RJD’s Mohammad Nawaz Alam broke this streak, defeating BJP’s Amarendra Pratap Singh by only 666 votes. But in 2020, Amarendra Pratap Singh won the seat again. His margin of victory was only 3,002 votes, indicating the close contests in the area.
Who won in Ara when?
* 2020- Amarendra Pratap Singh (BJP)
* 2015- Mohammad Nawaz Alam (RJD)
* 2010- Amarendra Pratap Singh (BJP)
* October 2005- Amarendra Pratap Singh (BJP)
* February 2005- Amarendra Pratap Singh (BJP)
* 2000- Amarendra Pratap Singh (BJP)
* 1995- Abdul Malik (Janata Dal)
Ara’s Political Equation
Ara has a diverse electorate. Scheduled Caste voters make up about 12.1 percent of the total population, while Muslim voters constitute 11.7 percent. In the 2020 assembly elections, there were 329,572 total voters, which increased to 334,622 in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.