NEW DELHI: Even as Bhojpuri actor turned politician Pawan Singh on Tuesday met RLP chief Upendera Kushwaha, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is looking to once again revive its fortunes in the Shahabad Magadh region of Bihar, which had proved a massive speed breaker for it in 2020 assembly polls as well as in last year general elections.
Pawan Singh met with Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) at his residence here in Delhi along with Bihar BJP incharge Vinod Tawde.
Pawan Singh after arriving at Kushwaha's residence here touched his feet and both the leaders then posed for the photograph.
The sources dubbed this move as crucial and a masterstroke ahead of the high octane battle in Bihar.
Meanwhile, the sources also indicated that how the NDA has planned this meeting to sort out the difference between the two leaders ahead of the crucial assembly polls in the state especially in Shahabad and Magadh region.
Tawde and BJP National Secretary Rituraj Sinha had met Kushwaha last night, before the crucial meeting between the two.
After the meeting, Tawde said that Pawan Singh will always remain in the BJP and follow their ideology.
The Bhojpuri star, who had joined the BJP ahead of Lok Sabha elections last year was announced as candidate from West Bengal's Asansol seat. However, he had then rebelled and contested elections from the Karakat Lok Sabha seats in Shahabad region from where Kushwaha was also contesting as a NDA candidate. Following his rebellion, Pawan Singh was suspended from the party.
The result, both lost to Mahagatbandhan's candidate from Karakat Raja Ram Singh from CPI(ML) L).
However, the source indicated that the top leadership of the BJP was worried with the 2020 assembly election and 2024 Lok Sabha election results from the Magadh and Shahabad region.
The NDA has won only 10 out of 55 assembly seats in 2020 state polls in this region and also in 2024 Lok Sabha seats, out of the nine it lost on seven seats.
Shahabad comprises of four Lok Sabha seats—Ara (Bhojpur), Sasaram, Karakat, Buxar, while Magadh has four Lok Sabha seats -- Patna, Aurangabad, Gaya, Jehanabad, Nawada.
What was more worrying for the NDA that the BJP was able to win on only five assembly seats while the NDA partners on other five seats.
The warning bells for NDA was also eminent as all of them were unable to win in many of the districts and secured a nil in several districts.
Thus, looking to correct the caste arithmetic with the Bhojpuri star factory and caste equations, the BJP is now looking to revive the NDA fortunes in this region.
The BJP, sources said, is hopeful that Pawan Singh who comes from Rajput community and has a huge fan base will be able to provide much needed boost to the cadres and people during the polls.
The party also feels that with the rebellion of Pawan Singh had its effect on Ara Lok Sabha seat as party senior minister RK Singh too lost in the polls.
Meanwhile, by arranging the much needed meeting of Pawan Singh with Kushwaha, the party also wants to woo the koiri community voters as they had voted against the NDA during the 2020 assembly and 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
With the split of the koiri community voters in Lok Sabha polls, the Mahagatbandhan two Kushwaha candidates Raja Ram Singh and Abhay Sinha alias Abhay Kushwaha won from the Karakat and Aurangabad seats.
So, with this crucial meeting, the BJP now plans to bring back the koiri community voters to its fold and stop it's split this time.
The Prime Minister during vis visit to Bihar in the month of August earlier this year visited Gaya and announced projects worth Rs 13,000 crore that also caters to Magadh and Shahabad region.
The sources in the BJP also indicated that Pawan Singh before meeting Kushwaha aso had a meeting with RK Singh in Ara and he can be fielded in the upcoming assembly polls to tap on his superstar power and also to correct the caste equations in the assembly polls, which is major factor in the state.
