Patna, January 16: BJP rebel Shatrughan Sinha, who has been representing the Patna Sahib constituency for the last two terms in the Lok Sabha, could be challenged by Bhar's deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Party insiders are firm that the BJP top brass is mulling over a strong candidate to defeat Sinha in the general polls.

Sinha, 72, was elected to the Parliament's Lower House with massive mandates in 2009 and 2014. However, shortly after being re-elected for the second term, he turned into a vocal critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his economic policies. Shatrughan Sinha Targets PM Modi Again: 'Interview Not Convincing...Time For a Press Conference'.

The actor-turned-politician has not left a chance to lambaste the BJP top brass, even on public platforms, while simultaneously showering praises on key Opposition leaders -- including Congress president Rahul Gandhi, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and RJD's Tejashwi Yadav.

'Sinha Should Quit BJP, Lets See If He Wins Patna Sahib'

Sushil Modi, while participating in a TV debate on Tuesday, said Sinha should take a litmus test of his popularity by quitting the BJP and then seeking a re-election from Patna Sahib.

His last two victories, Modi claimed, were contributed by the immense efforts of BJP state leaders Nand Kishore Yadav, Sanjeev Chaurasia, Arun Kumar Sinha and Nitish Navin.

"Sinha is also my icon the manner in which he is targeting the BJP, he should quit," Modi told a news channel, adding that Sinha has been unfair to the party which had earlier awarded him a cabinet rank and nominated him twice to the Rajya Sabha.

The Bihar deputy CM also targeted party veteran and former union minister Yashwant Sinha, claiming that Shatrughan Sinha turned against the BJP after falling into the "his bad company".

'Will Contest if Party Wants Me To'

On being asked on the recent rumours of him being the possible challenger to Sinha from Patna Sahib, Modi refrained from denying the speculations. Instead, he indicated his readiness to enter into the parliamentary poll fray.

"If the party decides, I will contest. I am born in the BJP and will die in this party," said Modi, who was elected to the Lok Sabha from Bhagalpur constituency in 2004. He had, however, submitted his resignation in 2005 to assume the charge of Deputy CM, when the NDA-led by Nitish Kumar had won the state assembly elections.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 16, 2019 08:36 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).