Khesari Lal Yadav's electoral debut seems set to come a cropper, with the Bhojpuri superstar, who is trailing the BJP's Chhoti Kumari by over 6,000 votes from the Chapra constituency in Bihar.
The actor-singer-politician's poor show is in line with that of his party, which is leading only in 28 seats despite contesting 143 - the highest among the major parties.
Khesari Yadav, aka Shatrughan Yadav, had found himself at the centre of a controversy in the run-up to the Bihar elections with a statement on the Ram Mandir.
"Will I become a teacher, professor, or officer after studying at the Ram Temple? No. The Ram Temple is a matter of faith, which is a different matter. But work must be done for education. The country runs on education," the 39-year-old had said.
Defending the statement on the first day of polling on November 6, Yadav said his intention was never to hurt anyone's religious sentiments but to stress the importance of education.
"I have built that house with great hard work. I don't know what God wants; everything is going wrong with me... Will I become a Master or Professor after studying in Ram Mandir? Devotion is a different matter. Education is important; through education, you can run a country. Build a temple, build a mosque, but also work for the future of children. Will we vote for Trump for that? No. I stand by my statement," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
He had also countered attacks from rivals about what they had called vulgarity in his songs. Admitting that some of them were a "mistake", Yadav said they were not what had caused Bihar's problems with employment and education.
"As a musician, I don't feel bad at all. There is nothing wrong in music. I did that for the entertainment of people. I did not understand much. But that is music, and this is development. Chapra is not facing waterlogging due to my vulgar songs. Is the education system broken due to my vulgar songs? Is the condition of hospitals dismal because of my vulgar songs? This is a different subject, and my songs are a different subject," he had said.
A recent video of Yadav working out also went viral, with many social media users praising his physique.
