BJP may replace Shatrughan Sinha with Ravi Shankar Prasad for Patna Sahib Lok Sabha seat

New Delhi: The BJP is set to drop sitting MP from Patna Sahib Shatrughan Sinha and he is likely to be replaced by Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, sources said Saturday. Prasad's name was discussed in the BJP's central election committee which was attended by party chief Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Shatrughan Sinha has been critical of the party's top leadership on several occasions in the past. He has often taken a stance at variance with the official party line, including on demonetisation and Goods and Services Tax, and shared the stage with opposition leaders at an anti-BJP rally in Kolkata in January, where he was projected as the "star speaker".

Deliberations continued till late in the night and the name of Rajya Sabha MP RK Sinha was also discussed for the Patna Sahib seat.

The meeting was also attended by other senior leaders, Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi and party's Bihar unit chief Nityanand Rai. 

Shatrughan had earlier said that he will not change his constituency in the coming Lok Sabha election "whatever the situation", making clear he would contest again from Patna Sahib seat irrespective of the party decision. "Situation kuch bhi ho, location wahi hogi (Whatever the situation, location would be same)," Sinha said on the phone from Ranchi.

On a recent visit to Lucknow, he had held a meeting with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, giving rise to speculation his wife Poonam Sinha may enter active politics from the Uttar Pradesh capital, currently represented in Lok Sabha by Home Minister Rajnath Singh. Asked about it, the actor-turned-politician said he will neither confirm nor deny this.