(MENAFN- IANS) Patna, Oct 1 (IANS) Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) chief and Rajya Sabha MP Upendra Kushwaha on Wednesday asserted that Bhojpuri film star Pawan Singh's re-entry into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will significantly strengthen the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar, particularly in the Shahabad and Magadh regions.

Kushwaha, who played a key role in facilitating Singh's expected re-entry into the BJP, recalled that both he and Singh had contested against each other in the last Lok Sabha elections from Karakat, where they were defeated by CPI-ML candidate Rajaram Singh Kushwaha.

Speaking to reporters in Sasaram, Upendra Kushwaha said,“Actor Pawan Singh joining the NDA will certainly benefit the alliance. In the last Lok Sabha elections, vote division led to adverse results. But in this Assembly election, we will prevent such division and the NDA will win everywhere.”

The division of votes on the Karakat Lok Sabha seat in 2024 led to Pawan Singh getting second position, and Upendra Kushwaha came third.

He added that the NDA is a strong strategy for the upcoming Assembly polls, and Singh's return is part of that larger plan.

“Pawan Singh has always worked in favour of strengthening the NDA. His return will definitely consolidate support, especially in Shahabad and Magadh,” Kushwaha added.

The former Union Minister inaugurated a workshop at the Veda block in Sasaram.

Kushwaha and Singh had met a day earlier, on Tuesday, in New Delhi, in the presence of BJP senior leader Vinod Tawde.

Following that meeting, Pawan Singh also met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the BJP national president and Union Minister J.P. Nadda, further fuelling political speculation in the state.

The series of meetings has sparked heightened political activity in Bihar, with observers suggesting that Singh's return to the NDA could lead to the consolidation of Kushwaha and Rajput votes in the upcoming Assembly elections.

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