‘Obscene video’: Barabanki BJP pick opts out of polls
A day after Bhojpuri actor-singer Pawan Singh opted out from contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, another BJP candidate Upendra Singh Rawat stepped back from contesting after an “obscene video” emerged on the social media said to be of the BJP leader.
Mr Rawat, who is a firsttime MP from Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki, claimed the video is a “deepfake” and said he has asked the BJP leadership to ask the concerned agencies to investigate the matter. Incidentally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it was learnt, had on Sunday itself cautioned the BJP-led NDA leaders, during the full
council meeting of ministers, to remain carefull of “deepfakes”.
In a post on X in Hindi, Mr Rawat said, “A fake video of mine generated by deepfake AI technology is being made viral, for which I have lodged an FIR... I will not contest any election in public life until I am proven innocent,” he said.
The Barabanki MP has also got an FIR registered and said until proven innocent, he will not contest any polls. BJP’s Barabanki district chief Arvind Maurya claimed the video is a conspiracy against the sitting MP after he was renominated by the party leadership.
Meanwhile, Pawan Singh met BJP president J.P. Nadda a day after he informed that he does not want to contest due to personal reasons. The actorsinger was named as the BJP candidate from West Bengal's Asansol and had to face ruling TMC's ire over some of his "derogatory" songs, allegedly "demeaning" women, in particular Bengali women. After his meeting with the BJP president, the Bhojpuri actor-singer said, “Aage sab kuch achcha he hoga.”