BJP’s Pawan Singh withdrew from Asansol while former Gujarat deputy CM Nitin Patel withdrew from Mehsana
KOLKATA/AHMEDABAD, March 3: Bhojpuri singer-actor Pawan Singh withdrew his name from the Lok Sabha poll contest from Asansol seat in West Bengal on Sunday, a day after the BJP named him as its candidate from the constituency currently represented by Trinamool Congress’s Shatrughan Sinha.
The TMC was quick to mock the BJP by saying it surrendered the seat even before the commencement of the election campaign.
In a post on X, Singh thanked the BJP leadership for his candidature but added that he will not be able to contest from Asansol “due to some reason”.
Though he did not specify the reason for his decision, his candidature had drawn criticism from the TMC, which alleged that many of his songs were crude and depicted women, including those from the state, in a vulgar way.
TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee shared Singh’s post on X and said, “The INDOMITABLE SPIRIT AND POWER OF THE PEOPLE OF WEST BENGAL.”
Asansol is home to a sizeable migrant population, and the BJP had hoped that Singh would be an effective counter to Sinha, the actor-politician who was in the saffron party for decades before walking out in 2019.
Nitin Patel opts out
Former Gujarat deputy chief minister and senior BJP leader Nitin Patel on Sunday said he has withdrawn his claim to contest from Mehsana Lok Sabha seat.
Patel didn’t assign any reason for this decision, which he announced on social media, even as the BJP is yet to officially announce the contestant from Mehsana.
In a post on social media, Patel said he had staked a claim for Mehsana seat and requested the party to field him as its nominee.
He said he was withdrawing his claim before the BJP came out with the name of the candidate for Mehsana seat.
Patel had never contested the Lok Sabha election.
The BJP on Saturday released the first list of 195 nominees, including 15 from Gujarat, which sends 26 members to Lok Sabha.
“The selection process of Mehsana Lok Sabha candidate is still underway. But before that, I withdraw my claim as a BJP candidate and pray to God that Narendrabhai Modiji becomes the Prime Minister for the third time in a row to elevate the prestige of India in the world and to bring glory to Mother India,” Patel stated.
The 68-year-old BJP leader also thanked the party workers, his well-wishers and colleagues.
HarshVardhan to leave active politics
With sitting MP Harsh Vardhan’s name not figuring from his Chandni Chowk constituency in the list of candidates announced by the BJP for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, he on Sunday announced bowing out of active politics.
In a long post on X, Vardhan said he will return to his roots after over 30 years of a “glorious electoral career”.
Looking back at his journey, he said, “I shall continue to pursue my work against tobacco and substance abuse, against climate change and teaching simple and sustainable lifestyles.”
“After over thirty years of a glorious electoral career, during which I won all the five assembly and two parliamentary elections that I fought with exemplary margins, and held a multitude of prestigious positions in the party organisation and the governments at the state and centre I finally bow out to return to my roots,” he said on X.
In the first list of 195 candidates declared by the BJP, Praveen Khandelwal has been fielded from Chandni Chowk, a seat which Vardhan holds at present.
He said it was a great privilege to work with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In 2014, Vardhan had defeated Kapil Sibal, then with the Congress, to win the Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha seat while in the 2019 polls, he trounced Congress’ Jai Prakash Agarwal. (PTI)