BJP drops Shatrughan Sinha from Patna Sahib, Prasad replaces him
For upcoming Lok Sabha elections, BJP dropped Shatrughan Sinha from Patna Sahib and gave the seat to Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. BJP in-charge of Bihar, Bhupendra Yadav, made the announcement on Saturday at a press meet. That Sinha won't seek re-election from Patna Sahib on a BJP ticket isn't surprising considering he has been quite critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
From Rafale to promises, Sinha attacked PM Modi repeatedly
In the last couple of months, the actor-turned-politician flayed with PM Modi over a number of issues. Singing the song of Opposition, Sinha suggested that PM Modi should launch a probe into the multi-crore Rafale deal. He also kept reminding PM Modi of the promises he made before 2014 and used the word jumla to target him. Sinha claimed BJP wasn't democratic anymore.
Sinha's presence at Opposition rally miffed BJP
Sinha, who has been associated with BJP since the 1990s, once said the party turned into "one-man show and two-man army". While BJP kept up with his dissent for long, Sinha's presence at the Opposition rally in West Bengal in January 2019, served as the last straw. The 72-year-old shared stage with leaders who criticized PM Modi, and BJP didn't approve of it.
Bihar's deal shows the state is crucial for BJP
Bihar, which sends 40 MPs to Lok Sabha, is important for BJP. The party is hoping the state will help it get a majority in the elections, whose results will be declared on May 23. To ensure Bihar remains a stronghold, BJP joined hands with JD(U) and LJP. Despite winning 22 seats last time, BJP agreed to contest on 17 seats in the polls.
After losing Nawada, Giriraj Singh to contest from Begusarai
Notably, BJP's idea of pleasing allies didn't sit well with party MP Giriraj Singh. He was upset that his Nawada seat was given to LJP. "I wish to underscore that no other union minister from Bihar may have to give up his sitting seat," Singh had said. Notably, Singh will contest from Begusarai whereas LJP's Chandan Kumar will be fielded from Nawada.
Arrah seat goes to RK Singh, Chirag Paswan gets Jamui
Yadav added Ramkirpal Yadav will contest from Patliputra. RK Singh, Aswani Choubey, Radha Mohan Singh, and Rajiv Pratap Rudy will fight polls from Arrah, Buxar, East Champaran, and Saran respectively. LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan's son Chirag Paswan has been fielded from Jamui.
