File photo: BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha
One of the BJP's star campaigners, Bollywood actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha is missing from the hectic campaigning unleashed by his party for the Bihar assembly elections.
The Bharatiya Janata Party parliamentarian from Patna Saheb - popularly known as 'Bihari Babu' and 'Shotgun' - has so far not addressed even a single rally in poll-bound Bihar, giving credence to speculations that he is unhappy with the BJP top leadership for sidelining him for over a year.
Mr Sinha's name was at number 30 in the BJP's list of star campaigners submitted to the Election Commission and it was expected that he would be canvassing votes for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.
"Shatrughan Sinha is not likely to campaign for the BJP during the Bihar assembly polls. He has not visited Bihar ever since campaigning was launched in the state last month," a BJP leader considered close to the Bollywood star said.
Others who have so far kept away from the BJP's campaigning are party veterans L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, though their names too figure in the party list of star campaigners.
Old timers who have kept a close watch on the political developments in Bihar in the past three decades pointed out that Mr Sinha was known for his free and frank talk that sometimes embarrassed his party and sometimes he even went against the official party line.
Buzz in political circles here is that the BJP would act against a defiant Shatrughan Sinha once the Bihar assembly polls are over.
BJP sources said Mr Sinha's repeated statements in support of Janata Dal-United leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his meetings with the latter did not go down well with the party brass. He also praised and met Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad.
Shatughan Sinha also backed the BJP's Lok Sabha member from Ara, R.K. Singh, who alleged that the party "sold tickets" to tainted and criminal candidates for the Bihar polls.