Patna: Bhojpuri actor and singer Pawan Singh formally returned to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday after a day of back-to-back meetings with senior leaders, signalling the party’s strategy to consolidate support in Bihar’s Shahabad region ahead of the assembly elections.
Singh first met Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief Upendra Kushwaha in Delhi before holding a half-hour discussion with Union home minister Amit Shah, where BJP leaders Vinod Tawde and Rituraj Sinha were also present. Singh later called on BJP president JP Nadda at his residence.
Asked about his return, Singh told reporters: “When did we ever separate from the BJP? We are together.”
#WATCH | Delhi: On joining the BJP again, actor and singer Pawan Singh says, “When did we separate? We are together.” https://t.co/paxpcCQYiF pic.twitter.com/TYq1l05tOV
— ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2025
Singh’s meetings have reignited political chatter in Patna, with BJP insiders indicating that his re-entry could influence up to 22 assembly seats in Shahabad. His independent contest from Karakat in last year’s Lok Sabha polls had split NDA votes and contributed to the defeat of Kushwaha, with the seat going to the Grand Alliance.
The actor’s return is also seen as a reconciliation after previous friction with BJP leaders, including former Union minister RK Singh, who recently praised Singh’s political outreach and urged him to align with the party.
Singh was briefly associated with the BJP ahead of the 2024 general election, when he was offered a ticket from Asansol in West Bengal. He declined the seat, contested Karakat as an independent, and finished second.
