Lok Sabha Elections 2024: 5 Facts About Shatrughan Sinha, Trinamool Candidate From Asansol

Mr Sinha was born in on December 9, 1945, in Patna to Bhubanswari Prasad Sinha and Shyama Devi Sinha. He completed his studies at the Patna Science College and graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune. Mr Sinha started his Bollywood career with Dev Anand's Prem Pujari (1970). He gained popularity for his roles in Mere Apne, Kalicharan, Dostana, and Kaala Patthar.

He entered politics, joining the BJP in 1980. Mr Sinha made his electoral debut in 1992, contesting against fellow actor Rajesh Khanna in the by-election to New Delhi constituency. He lost to Mr Khanna, a Congress candidate, by 25,000 votes.

Shatrughan Sinha was elected to the Rajya Sabha for two terms in 1996 and 2002. He was the Minister of Health and Family Welfare (2002-03) and then the Minister for Shipping (2003-04) under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.

In 2009, he returned to electoral politics, successfully contesting from Patna Sahib Lok Sabha constituency on a BJP ticket. His opponents included another actor, Congress candidate Shekhar Suman, who came third. In 2014, when the Narendra Modi-led BJP swept the country, Mr Sinha retained his seat, defeating Congress candidate Kunal Singh by over 1 lakh votes.

Before the 2019 elections, Mr Sinha was in the headlines for his criticism of the National Democratic Alliance (MDA) government and PM Modi. For the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP replaced him with then Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad from Patna Sahib. The BJP's decision to not grant him a ticket led to his departure from the party, ending a three-decade-long relationship. Mr Sinha contested from Patna Sahib on a Congress ticket, but lost to Ravi Shankar Prasad. In 2022, he joined Trinamool Congress and returned to the Lok Sabha with a victory in the 2022 by-election to the Asansol seat.