In three-way Karakat battle, Upendra Kushwaha goes for broke as Bhojpuri star Pawan Singh may dent NDA

It is a hot day on Monday in Nasriganj, a small town in the Karakat Lok Sabha seat in south Bihar. The supporters of popular Bhojpuri singer-actor Pawan Singh are distributing pamphlets announcing the upcoming campaign of another Bhojpuri singer Khesari Lal Yadav in favour of Pawan, who is making his electoral debut from the constituency as an Independent.

Many local youths look excited. There seems to be a buzz in Karakat around the candidature of the 38-year-old “Pawan Bhaiya”.

Last week, the Bihar BJP expelled Pawan from the party for entering the Karakat fray as a “rebel” candidate, from where NDA heavyweight and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) chief Upendra Kushwaha is contesting.

Interestingly, Pawan had figured in the BJP’s first list of the Lok Sabha poll candidates, released in early March, when the party had fielded him from West Bengal’s Asansol. However, on the very next day he opted out of this contest against Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and film star Shatrughan Sinha amid a row over allegations that some of his songs had vulgar and demeaning references to the Bengali women. At the time, he had said he could contest from Arrah, Buxar or Karakat.

With the Karakat seat going to vote in the seventh and final phase of the polls on June 1, Pawan has stepped up his electioneering now. He draws up his campaign schedule for the day in the morning on the basis of his associates’ feedback and his supporters’ demand.

On Monday morning, Pawan sets out from Dehri for Nasriganj, where yellow flags with his poll symbol scissors are seen everywhere at his rally venue. His supporters are sporting yellow gamcha. The backdrop of the stage is yellow too.

Weaving his way through the jostling crowd, with many youths trying to take