Patna, Jan. 14: Actor-turned-BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha’s claim that he would contest the Patna Saheb seat, even before the party leadership’s official candidate announcement, has sparked a row in the saffron outfit in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.

“I have the blessings of prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani and BJP president Rajnath Singh. The two top party leaders have offered me to pick up any Lok Sabha seat in Bihar, UP or Maharashtra to contest. I have chosen Patna Saheb for Patna is my home,” said the actor, popularly known as “Shotgun”.

But the fact remains that two more high-profile BJP leaders, including its national spokesman Ravishankar Prasad and senior leader R.K. Sinha, both belonging to Patna, are said to be “eyeing” the Patna Saheb seat. Both Prasad and R.K. Sinha are believed to have the “requisite” profile to claim the seat.

Prasad is a Rajya Sabha MP and is a former Union minister. Prasad is also said to be “close” to Advani and Arun Jaitley. On the other hand, R.K. Sinha has been an old war-horse of the party. Owner and chairman of the India’s biggest security agency, SIS, Sinha has been one of the main fund-raisers of the party.

But Shatrughan Sinha does not hold any position after retiring from the Rajya Sabha membership last year. The party did not give him third term in accordance with its “norm not to give third term in Rajya Sabha to any party member”.