Ravi Shankar Prasad replaces Shatrughan Sinha in Patna

 Jalandhar : The National Democratic Alliance on Saturday replaced  Lok Sabha MP from Patna Sahib Shatrughan Sinha  with Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. The NDA released its list of 40 Lok Sabha candidates in Bihar on Saturday.

Sinha was shown door as he had expressed unhappiness and difference of opinion on various government policies including GST, farmers distress, demonetisation and unemployment.

Expected to join Mahagathbandhan comprising the Congress and the RJD besides several smaller parties, Sinha recently came out with a series of tweets decrying the ‘Main bhi chowkidaar’ campaign to support the claim of AICC president Rahul Gandhi’s “Chowkidar hi chor hai” barb at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He had even participated in two rallies organised by opposition in Kolkata  and New Delhi this year. He even sought clarification from NDA over Rafale deal.

Amongst others, Union minister and senior BJP leader Giriraj Singh has been moved from his Navada Lok Sabha constituency to neighbouring Begusarai parliamentary seat.

Also, Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh was named the NDA candidate from Purvi Champaran. He is the sitting MP from this constituency.

The list was released at a press conference attended by Bihar BJP chief Nityanand Rai, JD-U state president Vashisht Narayan Singh and LJP state unit head Pashupati Paras.The BJP and JD-U are contesting 17 Lok Sabha seats each in Bihar. The LJP has got remaining six seats in the NDA seat-sharing arrangement.