In Azamgarh, Bhojpuri Actor Amplifies Star Power To Fight Akhilesh Yadav | Read

At a village 10 km out of eastern Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh town, there is a scramble for selfies as the SUV of Bhojpuri superstar Nirahua, or Dinesh Lal Yadav, draws close. There is a frenzy as the actor steps out of the vehicle to climb the stairs to the first floor of a building to make a brief address to the crowd. This is Nirahua's first election, and the superstar has a BJP ticket to fight from Azamgarh, about 100 km from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency Varanasi. But despite his popularity, there is a twist.