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This story is from April 4, 2019

Yadav vs Yadav in Azamgarh: ‘Nirahua’ peps up poll battle in UP

While political pundits believe BJP’s decision to field ‘Nirahua’ against Akhilesh in Azamgarh was a masterstroke as the Bhojpuri singer from Birha family, there are those who believe it will turn out to be a Yadav versus Yadav battle.
Yadav vs Yadav in Azamgarh: ‘Nirahua’ peps up poll battle in UP
Key Highlights
  • Our Prime minister is following righteous politics and I must support him to keep Purvanchal on track, 'Nirahua' told TOI.
  • 'Nirahua', however, says he will always remain grateful to Akhilesh for awarding him the Yash Bharti in 2016.
LUCKNOW: A few weeks ago, Dinesh Lal Yadav ‘Nirahua’ was busy filming an action sequence for his 2019 pre-production ‘Thik Hain’, his 44th Bhojpuri film in the heart of Varanasi, till caste queries from film fraternity on the 2019 Lok Sabha polls began to stir him.
On Wednesday, when BJP announced the candidature of the 40-year-old popular actor against SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav from Azamgarh, he couldn’t help but launch an attack on the former chief minister.
“Wherever I go for a shoot, people think since I am from Purvanchal, political parties only engage in caste-based politics and we support them. I was in the middle of a sequence when I heard about the BSP-SP tie-up being announced. Yet again, caste politics will be a hurdle to development. Our Prime minister is following righteous politics and I must support him to keep Purvanchal on track,” 'Nirahua' told TOI.
Complete coverage: Lok Sabha elections 2019
While political pundits believe BJP’s decision to field him against Akhilesh was a masterstroke as the Bhojpuri singer from Birha family, enjoys unwavering support among youth and middle-income strata in eastern UP, there are those who believe it will turn out to be a Yadav versus Yadav battle.
'Nirahua', however, says he will always remain grateful to Akhilesh for awarding him the Yash Bharti in 2016.
“I may be a Yadav, but I am Indian first. I want to ask how many Yadavs have been fielded beyond Akhilesh’s family members? Similarly, how many Dalits have been fielded by Mayawati,” he asked.
BJP tasted success in 2009 Lok Sabha polls when its candidate Ramakant Yadav was elected from Azamgarh. In 2014, SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav won his debut election from Azamgarh.
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About the Author
Rohan Dua

Rohan Dua is an Assistant Editor with Times of India. As an itinerant reporter, he has walked a marathon from rustic farms to idyllic terrains across Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh to report extensively on the filial politics, village triumphs and palace intrigues. He likes to sneak into, snoop and sniff out offices for investigative scoops, some of which led to breakthrough probes in the Railgate, Applegate, AW chopper scam, IPL fixing and drug scam. His stories nailed Pakistan's involvement with damning evidence in two Punjab terror attacks at Pathankot and Gurdaspur.

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