Shatrughan Sinha wants feedback on son 'Bihar Putra' Luv's campaign ahead of Bihar polls

Throwing his weight behind his son who is now a Congress candidate in the upcoming Bihar elections, Shatrughan Sinha on Friday has called him 'Bihar Putra' and has urged leaders Yashwant Sinha, Shashi Tharoor, Mayawati, Sharad Pawar and non-BJP CMs to give feedback on his performance. Taking to Twitter, he shared pictures of Luv while he was campaigning in his constituency of Bankipore, and said that Luv 'speaks his mind with clarity and conviction.' He heaped praises on his son by calling him a 'responsible, sensible & confident Bihar Putra.'

Luv Sinha had tweeted that urging voters to exercise their franchise. He said that voting is not only a responsibility, but it is a national duty. "We all get a chance to change our future in this festival of democracy," he wrote in Hindi.

READ | Omar Abdullah slams BJP for promising free COVID vaccine to people of Bihar in manifesto

The junior Shotgun got a ticket from Bankipore assembly constituency, which goes to poll in the second phase of elections on November 3. He is pitted against BJP's three-time MLA Nitin Navin from Bankipore, which falls under Patna Sahib. Bankipur seat is going to be a tough fight for the junior Shotgun as it is considered as BJP's citadel. The sitting BJP MLA Navin has won the seat since 2005 and his father Navan Kishor Prasad Sinha had held the seat from 1995 for the BJP. 

Interestingly, Shatrughan Sinha, who parted ways from the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2019, and joined Congress had contested unsuccessfully from the Patna Sahib constituency. 

READ | Nitish scolds RJD backers shouting 'Lalu Zindabad' at Bihar rally; gets 'Chara chor' reply

In an interview to news agency PTI, actor-turned-politician like his father, Luv Sinha acknowledged that he was contesting from a "BJP bastion". "I believe fighting an uphill battle tests your mettle and proves to the world what you are really capable of. A win or loss is not in my hands anyway. It is a BJP bastion, they have all the money power and organisational power in the world right now. Does that mean you don't contest? No, it means you contest and do your best," he said. 

Asked why he chose the Congress for his poll debut when he could have opted for a party like the RJD which has a wider presence in Bihar, the 37-year-old said, "It is not just me choosing the Congress, it is also the Congress choosing me". "Congress noted the work I had done even when my father was part of BJP. I have worked here with my father since 2009. I am sure the party noticed my work in the previous elections and that is why they considered me for this ticket," he said. He further said "as far as strong or weak (party) is concerned, I would like to say that my father started with the BJP when it had two seats in Parliament. It is only a matter of time, who is strong can become weak and who is weak can become strong".

READ | Owaisi responds to Yogi Adityanath's attack: 'Even in Bihar polls, he is dreaming of me'

Bihar Elections 2020

Bihar Assembly Elections will be held in three phases - on October 28, November 3 and November 7 - and counting of votes will be held on November 10. Nitish Kumar is seeking reelection and is the CM face for the NDA. Mahagathbandhan has chosen Tejashwi Yadav as their CM face. The BJP is contesting on a seat-sharing formula of 121-122 seats with the JDU and Mukesh Sahni of Vikasheel Insaan party and Jitan Ram Manjhi of HAM(S) is contesting on BJP's share. Mahagathbandhan comprising of Congress and three left parties have are contesting on seat-sharing formula of 144-70-29 seats respectively. 

READ | BJP's Bihar elections manifesto out; free COVID vaccine atop 11 'Aatmanirbhar' promises