Patna: Upendra Kushwaha, leader of the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) and a Rajya Sabha MP, has said that Bhojpuri film star Pawan Singh’s return to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will strengthen the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar ahead of elections.
Speaking at a private event in Sasaram, Rohtas district, Kushwaha avoided making personal remarks about Singh but stressed that his re-entry into the party fold would help consolidate the NDA vote. “We never make personal comments about anyone. We always think in favour of the NDA because the NDA speaks for the people’s interests,” he said.
Kushwaha argued that in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Karakat, the NDA’s votes were divided, leading to a setback. “This time there will be no vote splitting. The NDA will win across all regions of Bihar,” he added. He said the alliance was preparing a “strong strategy” for the forthcoming assembly elections, and claimed that “no one can stop the NDA from winning now”.
Kushwaha met Singh in Delhi earlier this week, in a move seen as part of the BJP’s efforts to court influential figures from Bihar’s Bhojpuri-speaking belt. Senior BJP leaders Vinod Tawde and Rituraj Sinha were also present at the meeting. Singh later held discussions with the home minister, Amit Shah, and BJP president, JP Nadda. According to reports, Singh is expected to formally rejoin the BJP on October 5 and may be fielded as a candidate from the Arrah assembly seat.
