Dinesh Lal Yadav ‘Nirahua’

Dinesh Lal Yadav is an Indian politician and a Member of Parliament (MP) from the Lok Sabha constituency of Azamgarh in the state of Uttar Pradesh. He is a member of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). Dinesh is also a popular actor, singer and producer, who works primarily in Bhojpuri-language films. He is popularly known as Nirahua and has a production house based on the same name. Nirahua nickname is derived from one of his popular films Nirahua Rikshawala.

While pursuing a successful career in entertainment industry, Dinesh Lal Yadav developed an interest in politics. Being a popular actor, Dinesh had huge fan following among people who liked Bhojpuri films. As his popularity could translate into votes, the choice to join politics was quite natural. There have been other examples also such as Manoj Tiwari, Ravi Kishan, etc. who were popular personalities from entertainment industry and had achieved success in the world of politics.

In case of Dinesh Lal Yadav, the opportunity came in 2019, when he became a member of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). He was chosen to contest in 2019 general elections from Azamgarh, which was considered a fortress of Samajwadi Party (SP). Azamgarh seat was with SP since 2014, when it was won by Mulayam Singh Yadav. In 2019 election from Azamgarh, Dinesh Lal Yadav ‘Nirahua’ contested against former CM of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav. He was defeated by a margin of around 2.6 lakh votes.

However, Dinesh did not get disappointed and continued to make progress in his political career. He got a second chance, when he was asked to fight again from Azamgarh in 2022 bye-election. This time, Dinesh emerged victorious. However, the margin of win was very thin. Dinesh was pitted against Dharmendra Yadav of Samajwadi Party, who received 33.44% of the votes. In comparison, Dinesh got 34.39% of the votes. It was a significant win for both Dinesh and BJP.

Early Life, Education and professional career

Dinesh Lal Yadav was born on February 02, 1979 to Kumar Yadav and Chandrajyoti Yadav. He was born in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh. He spent his early years in Kolkata, where his father used to work. He did his schooling in Kolkata. He married Mansha Yadav in 2000.

Dinesh started his acting career in 2006. Films like Nirahua Rikshawala (2007), Kahan Jaiba Raja Najariya Ladaike (2007), etc. became a huge hit, which made Dinesh a super star in Bhojpuri films. Dinesh has also worked in television shows such as Bigg Boss and OTT platforms.

Political Career

• June 2022: Elected to 17th Lok Sabha in a bye- election
• 13 Sept. 2022 onwards: Member, Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture

Personal Pursuits

Dinesh Lal Yadav ‘Nirahua’ remains committed to the welfare of people in his constituency.