Manoj Tiwari: The lost voice of Delhi Election 2020

The counting for the Delhi Assembly Election 2020 is over and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has returned to power with an impressive 62 seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has finished a distant second with only eight of its candidates making the cut.

Also read: 10 things you need to know about Delhi Election 2020

The saffron party's failure to unseat the Arvind Kejriwal-led party is a big setback for its Delhi chief Manoj Tiwari, who led the campaign quite aggressively. Here's what you need to know about the actor-turned-politician who many feel is the lost voice of Delhi Election 2020.

Also read: Delhi Election Results 2020 Key takeaways

He was initially with the Samajwadi Party: Tiwari was unsuccessful when he contested in the 2009 Lok Sabha Election on a Samajwadi Party ticket and tried to challenge Gorakhpur MP and BJP leader Yogi Adityanath. On his decision to join politics, Tiwari had said that he wanted to work for the development of the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh.

The strong comeback

Five years after this setback, Tiwari revived his political fortunes in 2014 when he contested in the Lok Sabha election from North East Delhi on a BJP ticket and defeated his nearest rival and AAP leader Anand Singh by over one lakh votes.

Two in a row

Tiwari proved his mettle once again in 2019, when he got re-elected from the same constituency, defeating former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit by a handsome margin. Thereafter, he sought her blessing, which grabbed plenty of attention in political circles.

The Rinkiya Ke Papa connect

Tiwari, considered to be one of the biggest names in Bhojpuri cinema, is proud of his work as an entertainer. While reacting to Kejriwal's recent comments on him being a "good singer," who sang Rinkiya Ke Papa, he had said that the dig was not justified and said that the song highlighted the importance of having daughters.