This election is a battle between hope and opportunism: Ravi Shankar Prasad

New Delhi [India], Mar 23 (ANI): Union Minister and Rajya Sabha MP Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday expressed gratitude to the BJP for fielding him from Bihar's Patna Sahib Lok Sabha constituency, while refusing to comment on Shatrughan Sinha, the sitting MP, who has apparently been dropped for his critical views on the top leadership.
“Patna is my city. I was born and brought up there. I was a member of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh there and I have emotional connections with Patna,” Prasad told ANI after he got Lok Sabha ticket from Patna Sahib seat.
The actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha had won 2014 general elections from the constituency on BJP ticket. However, he was dropped from the list. Sinha has been vocal against the top leadership of the party on various occasions in the past.
Refusing to comment on him, Prasad said: “I have not commented on him before and I will not do it now." However, he added, "This fight will be on issues of development; this would be between hope and opportunism.”  
He added, “This election is about hope and making Narendra Modi the Prime Minister of the country again. We have worked in the IT sector in Patna. Many Business Processing Outsourcing (BPOs) and innovation centres started there, I will take these works forward. The voters of Patna are very aware and they know which way takes India forward,” he added.
Lok Sabha MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy, who has been re-nominated by the party from Saran constituency, said: “Saran has been a bastion of Lalu ji. I have been again given the opportunity to fight election from there. I would thank the party and leadership for this.”
On being asked about Sinha, he said, “I don’t know where he is and from which party he is going to contest elections. We are clueless about him as of now.”
BJP has nominated Union Minister of State Giriraj Singh from Begusarai who is sitting MP from Nawada.
Speaking on Singh, Rudy said, “He is a senior leader, sitting MP and a minister. He has a different seat to contest now and he will win from Begusarai.”
Bihar, which has 40 Lok Sabha constituencies, will witness polls in all the seven phases, beginning April 11. The counting of votes will take place on May 23. (ANI)