New Delhi: The BJP today distanced itself from the contention of actor-turned-MP Shatrughan Sinha that he is the party candidate from Bihar's Patna Saheb constituency in the general elections, saying the nominees will be finalised only by this month-end.
"In BJP, the candidature is decided first by the state election committee and then forwarded to the Central Election Committee (CEC) of the party which takes a final call on the matter," BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said.
The candidate for Patna Saheb will be discussed by party's Bihar state election committee which is to meet on January 17,Rudy said.
The CEC will then finalise candidates for the Lok Sabha elections by this month-end after getting inputs from states, he said.
Patna Lok Sabha constituency is no longer in existence post-delimitation as parts of it have been put under Danapur constituency while the remaining areas fall under Patna Saheb.
Though the demographic profile has changed, Patna Saheb still has a sizable Kayastha population, to which Sinha belongs. Thakurs form another respectable chunk of the electorate.
Sinha, who has served two terms in the Rajya Sabha as a BJP MP from Bihar, was recently denied another term as the saffron party does not favour a third consecutive term in the Upper House.
Senior party leaders said certain other BJP leaders are also eyeing the Patna Saheb seat. The front-runner among them is another Kayastha leader, Ravi Shankar Prasad, who is also party Rajya Sabha MP and national spokesperson. Prasad has also been given additional responsibility like handling BJP affairs in Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu.
"BJP may also decide to use Prasad's services in the Central unit and give ticket to Sinha," a BJP leader said.
