Actor and Singer Pawan Singh meets Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in New Delhi on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Bhojpuri actor and singer Pawan Singh on Saturday announced that he would not contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, stating that he would continue to remain a “soldier” of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
He made the announcement through a post on social media platform X, sharing a photograph with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. “I, Pawan Singh, want to inform my Bhojpuri community that I did not join the party to contest the Bihar Legislative Assembly elections, nor do I intend to contest the assembly elections. I am a true soldier of the party and will remain one,” he wrote.
The announcement came a day after Mr. Singh’s wife, Jyoti Singh, met Jan Suraaj party founder Prashant Kishor, fuelling speculation about her possible political debut.
Mr. Singh had unsuccessfully contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election as an Independent from the Karakat constituency, which was won by Raja Ram Kushwaha of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation. There had been speculation that he might contest the upcoming Assembly elections from one of the Bhojpur district seats – either Ara or Barhara.
Following the meeting with Ms. Jyoti, Mr. Kishor told the media that while she had met him, it was not with the intention of contesting the Assembly election.
In recent months, Ms. Jyoti has sought assistance from several political leaders amid escalating marital discord with Mr. Singh. The dispute came into public view on October 5, when she visited his Lucknow flat and later alleged on social media that she was being evicted by police called by the actor-singer.
Mr. Singh, in a Facebook post on October 6, denied the allegation. “I know only one thing in my life: the public is God for me. Will I hurt the sentiments of all of you, the people who have helped me reach this position?” he wrote.
Addressing his wife, he added, “Jyoti Singh Ji, isn’t it true that, when you came to my society, I respectfully invited you to my house and we talked for about 1:30 hours? You repeatedly said that you want to contest the assembly election, no matter what. This request was beyond my control.”
Mr. Singh further clarified, “Misinformation was spread in the community that I called the police, whereas the truth is that the police were present there since morning to ensure that whatever happened, it was in their presence and nothing untoward happened, either by the people accompanying you or anyone else.”
On October 8, Ms. Jyoti levelled serious allegations against Mr. Singh, claiming that he had given her abortion pills and subjected her to torture. A day later, he denied the charges, calling them politically motivated and noting that their case had been pending in court for four years.
When asked about Mr. Singh’s decision not to contest the Assembly elections, Mr. Kishor said it had nothing to do with him. “Pawan Singh is my friend, no matter where he is. I have nothing to do with Pawan Singh’s family matter. I met his wife yesterday, but it was not for political reasons. Why would Pawan Singh be scared of me? I have no enmity with him; I am his friend,” he said.
Mr. Singh had been expelled from the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, but his independent candidacy from Karakat had contributed to the defeat of Upendra Kushwaha, the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) leader and an NDA ally.
On September 30, Mr. Singh met Mr. Kushwaha at his Delhi residence, and a photograph showing him touching the RLM leader’s feet went viral on social media, with fans claiming he had “surrendered”. Later the same day, Mr. Singh met BJP president J.P. Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah, formally rejoining the party.
Published – October 11, 2025 08:37 pm IST
