BJP expels actor-politician Pawan Singh for contesting against NDA candidate

NEW DELHI, MAY 22 : The BJP on Wednesday expelled Bhojpuri actor-turned-politician Pawan Singh for contesting as an independent candidate from the Karakat Lok Sabha seat of Bihar against National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Upendra Kushwaha. Singh filed his nomination on May 9, ending weeks of speculation around his candidature from Karakat.

In a letter to Pawan Singh, the BJP said his decision was “anti-party”, and also tarnished the image of the party while being against its principles.

Karakat will head to the polls on June 1, the seventh and last phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

Besides Kushwaha, a former Union Minister and chief of the Rashtriya Lok Morcha, the Mahagathbandhan’s Rajaram Singh and AIMIM’s Priyanka Chaudhary are in the fray from the south Bihar seat.

n Tuesday, Pawan Singh had tweeted, saying “the trust of the public has to be won through public service”.

Pawan Singh’s decision to contest against Kushwaha drew criticism from some BJP leaders, including Union Minister RK Singh, who is seeking re-election from the neighbouring Arrah Lok Sabha seat.

-The India Today