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Pawan Singh, often hailed as the ‘Power Star’ with a massive youth following, was expelled in May 2024 for contesting as an independent against the NDA candidate in Karakat LS seat
Pawan Singh met JP Nadda (left) and Amit Shah. (X)
As the 2025 Bihar assembly elections loom, political circles in the poll-bound state are buzzing with speculation about a potential deal between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Bhojpuri superstar Pawan Singh, who was expelled by the party after he contested independently against NDA candidate Upendra Kushwaha from Karakat in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Pawan Singh, often hailed as the ‘Power Star’ with a massive youth following, was expelled in May 2024 for contesting as an independent against the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) candidate in the Karakat Lok Sabha seat.
His independent run was directly responsible for splitting the alliance’s vote, leading to the defeat of Kushwaha and the victory of the opposition’s CPI-ML candidate.
Singh, who is in Delhi these days, has been meeting top BJP leaders, including party chief JP Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah, Bihar in-charge Vinod Tawde and others. He also went to meet Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) chief Kushwaha along with Tawde and Rituraj Sinha.
Sources in BJP say that Kushwaha was extremely unhappy with Singh, whom he blamed for losing the LS poll and hence did not want him to be in the NDA fold. But it was on the intervention of a top BJP leader that he agreed to keep the difference aside and met him in his Delhi residence to send a message across to Rajputs and Kushwaha community in Bihar that “we are together”.
जातिवादी राजनीति के पोषकों के दिल पे आज ई फोटो देख के साँप लोट रहा होगा। लेकिन जिनके दिल में विकसित बिहार का सपना बसता है, वो कब तक एक दूसरे से दूर रह सकते है। आज हमारे माननीय गृह मंत्री @AmitShah जी और हमारे राष्ट्रीय अध्यक्ष @JPNadda जी माननीय @UpendraKushRLM जी से मुलाक़ात हुई… pic.twitter.com/DyoqUe8VKw— Pawan Singh (@PawanSingh909) September 30, 2025
Why Pawan Singh is important
The Bhojpuri star comes from the Shahabad region, which is a historically significant political area in Bihar, often referred to as the Bhojpur region comprising Bhojpur, Arrah, Rohtas Sasaram, Kaimur Bhabua, Buxar.
The performance of the BJP was very poor in the 2020 Assembly polls where, of the 22 seats, the NDA managed to win only eight. The remaining 14 seats were won by the opposition Mahagathbandhan, making this region a major weak spot for the ruling alliance.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls also, in this region, the NDA lost four of the five Lok Sabha seats namely Arrah, Karakat, Aurangabad and Sasaram due to the suspension of Singh and open tussle between Rajputs and Kushwahas.
Singh is eyeing two Rajput-dominated seats, Arrah and Barhara in this region. For the BJP, bringing Singh back is a matter of pragmatic political necessity, consolidating votes through his star power and caste dynamics.
The Bhojpuri star’s value is undeniable. His ability to mobilise a large, passionate voter base, especially in the Bhojpuri-speaking belt, is a key asset. Furthermore, his standing as a prominent figure from the influential Rajput community offers the BJP a critical tool to consolidate this social group’s support across the Bhojpur region, including high-stakes areas.
A successful re-induction would achieve major objectives for the party: preventing his votes from again splintering the NDA base and inadvertently aiding the opposition, and to leverage his star power as a high-profile campaigner across the state.
Now, the BJP is planning to offer a significant incentive centred around his announced intention to contest the 2025 Assembly elections.
The most direct incentive could be a sure-shot NDA ticket from a winnable constituency, which he is reportedly keen on, and may be a powerful role in the state or national BJP organisation or a non-electoral path to power, such as a nomination to the Legislative Council (MLC) or even a seat in the Rajya Sabha.
September 30, 2025, 18:38 IST
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