Patna,(BiharTimes): The exclusion of Patna Saheb MP Shatrughan Sinha from the 31-member BJP parliamentary election committee for Bihar has angered his supporters.

However, political observers are of the view that Bihari Babu had perhaps paid the price for repeatedly praising Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav.

Shotgun embarrassed the party workers when he met Nitish Kumar in July last a few days after the split in the Bihar NDA on June 16.

Shatrughan also met former chief minister Rabri Devi after the release of her husband, Lalu Prasad Yadav, and showered praise on the latter.

In the past the filmstar-cum-politician had even said that Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar can also be a better prime ministerial candidate. He was among those BJP leaders, who backed Lal Krishna Advani, till the last and opposed Narendra Modi’s candidature.

His exclusion is seen as a move to sideline him as the committee includes the name of Bihar BJP chief Mangal Pandey, former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi, leader of opposition in the state Assembly, Nand Kishore Yadav, Bhagalpur MP Shahnawaz Husain and many other less significant leaders than Shotgun.

Many within the party fears that they would not be surprised if he is replaced as the party’s candidate from Patna Saheb seat. After all Ravi Shankar Prasad, who is the Rajya Sabha MP, tried his level best to get the party ticket even in 2009.

Though, of late, Shatrughan has started issuing statements in favour of Narendra Modi, yet there are many in the saffron party, who do not want to forgive him. Even he knows that he may be denied ticket, therefore, he is in no mood to antagonize Nitish Kumar or Lalu Prasad.

Analysts are of the view that even Sushil Kumar Modi was very close to Nitish Kumar till June 16. But the difference is that after the split he came out strongly against his former boss and stood solidly behind Narendra Modi, while Shatrughan kept opposing Narendra Modi. His move to meet Rabri Devi, as late as December last, when the entire fodder scam battle was fought by the BJP, came as a rude shock to the BJP.

Even recently, Shatrughan praised the emergence of Aam Admi Party in Delhi.