Uttar Pradesh: Nirahua Rickshawala outpaces bicycle

NEW DELHI/VARANASI: With singer-actor Dinesh Lal Yadav 'Nirahua's slender win in the Azamgarh bypoll on Sunday, a troika of top stars from the Bhojpuri film industry will be sitting in Lok Sabha in the coming monsoon session. Manoj Tiwari (North-East Delhi) and Ravi Kishan (Gorakhpur) are the other two. All three represent the BJP.
Persistence pays. None of the three actors were successful in their first attempt.Nirahua lost to SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav from the same seat in 2019. Kishan finished sixth as a Congress candidate from Jaunpur in 2014. Tiwari had finished third in Gorakhpur in 2009 on a Samajwadi Party ticket, against Yogi Adityanath. Akhilesh did not campaign for SP's Dharmendra Yadav in this bypoll. While canvassing, Nirahua would occasionally take a dig at the SP leader crooning the jingle, "Akhilesh hue faraar...Nirahua datal rahe. (Akhilesh is absconding, Nirahua is digging his heels in.)"
After winning by over 8,500 votes, the actor-singer tweeted from his verified account, Nirahua Hindustani: "(This is) Victory of the people! Azamgarh, you have been amazing. This is your victory. ...This victory is dedicated to your trust and the hard work of God-like workers."
Before Nirahua, Bhojpuri film stars mostly came from upper castes. He was the first from the OBC community to become a major box-office draw. Nirahua, the name he is known by, is derived from the Sanskrit word, nirhu, which means sindoor (vermilion). It was the name of a fictional character, a simpleton, in his wildly popular 2003 music album, "Nirahua Satal Rahe" (Nirahua clings). "The name became my identity. People started calling me Nirahua," he said in 2009.
Nirahua, 43, spent his early years in Kolkata where his father worked in a factory. He was inspired early by cousin Vijay Lal Yadav, a folk singer. By 18, he formed his own song and dance group and dumped his ambition of becoming a chartered accountant. Nirahua Satal Rahe's success earned him film offers. "Chalat Musafir Moh Liyo Re'' (2006) and "Ho Gayeel Ba Pyaar Odhaniyan Wali Se" (I have fallen in love with a girl wearing a stole, 2007) were his first two hits. Then Nirahua Rickshawala (2007) happened. The film's box-office fortune was propelled by a kissing scene that was endlessly discussed. Nirahua, thereafter, became his most popular brand. Another success, Nirahua Chalal Sasural (2008) followed. Both these films have had follow-ups too.
Most recently, he also sang foot-tapping 'AAyenge toh Yogi hi' (Yogi will definitely make a comeback) which set the tone for BJP's campaign in the 2022 assembly elections.
The actor, who has profitably paired with Pakhi Hegde and Amrapali Dubey in several films, has performed in many countries and has also sung to packed houses in Fiji, which has a significant Bhojpuri diaspora. After he was fielded by BJP against Akhilesh in 2019 and again in the bypoll, Nirahua was made a target of meme attacks by his rivals. They dug out his old videos showing him in women's attire or goofing around to show him in poor light. Voters of Azamgarh of course made light of such campaigns.