A Bhojpuri superstar, another’s wife, a young spiritual singer with over 11 million followers and a Bhojpuri singer-actor-model entered the Bihar poll contest. As the counting of votes propelled the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to a landslide, some registered a thumping political debut while other stars lost their sheen.
Khesari Lal Yadav
Nothing short of a sensation in the Bhojpuri cinema landscape, Khesari Lal Yadav contested the Bihar polls from Chhapra on a Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) ticket. As of 2.30 pm, he trailed behind BJP’s Chhoti Kumari by almost 20,000 votes.
Yadav invited controversy ahead of the state polls with a statement on the Ram Mandir. “Will I become a teacher, professor, or officer after studying at the Ram Temple? No. The Ram Temple is a matter of faith, which is a different matter. But work must be done for education. The country runs on education,” the 39-year-old had said.
He also came under fire for the songs he has performed in, with many calling his work vulgar. “Chhapra is not facing waterlogging due to my vulgar songs. Is the education system broken due to my vulgar songs? Is the condition of hospitals dismal because of my vulgar songs? This is a different subject, and my songs are a different subject,” he had said.
On the bright side, Yadav’s workout video’s invited widespread praise online.
Ritesh Pandey
Pandey, a singer, actor and model, set the record in 2020 for the most viewed Bhojpuri song when ‘Hello Kaun’ received 1 billion views on YouTube. He has shared the big screen with renowed actors like Rani Chatterjee, Akshara Singh, Amrapali Dubey, and Kajal Raghwani.
His political fortunes fast dwindled on Friday, as the Jan Suraaj Party candidate from Kargahar seat trailed at the fourth position, over 36,000 votes behind Janata Dal (United)’s Bashisth Singh as of 2.30 pm.
Maithili Thakur
With over 11 million followers on her YouTube and Instagram handles, ‘Bihar’s daughter’ and spiritual singer Thakur raced towards a decisive win on a BJP ticket from Alinagar.
In January 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Thakur for singing a song on Maa Shabri, who according to the Ramayan had offered half-eaten fruit to Shri Ram during his exile.
Thakur was also one of the 24 influencers who were awarded at the first government-organised National Creators Awards to promote “storytellers of a confident, assertive New India” in 2024. She was awarded the ‘Cultural Ambassador of The Year’.
Jyoti Singh
Wife of Bhojpuri superstar Pawan Singh, Jyoti Singh contested from the Karakat seat as an Independent. The high-profile seat saw a multi-cornered contest among JDU’s Mahabali Singh, CPI(ML)’s Arun Singh and Jan Suraaj’s Yogendra Singh.
In the lead-up to the polls, Jyoti Singh had accused her husband, Pawan, of infidelity, and there was an open fight over who would contest.
As of 2.30 pm, Jyoti Singh is trailing at the third position, over 32,000 votes behind Mahabali Singh.
