No pressure tactics used to get Patna Sahib seat: Shatrughan

Amidst reports that he had hobnobbed with rival parties to get the presitigious Patna Sahib seat, Shatrughan Sinha said on Wednesday that he did not engage in any pressure tactics to get the BJP nod to contest the coming Lok Sabha elections.

"There was no pressure tactics from my side. The party had promised me long back that I would get a choice seat whenever I want to contest the election. I chose the seat as Patna is my janmbhoomi and I am emotionally attached to it," he said.

Asked how he felt after emerging successful in getting the seat in which a number of BJP leaders icluding party spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad were interested, Sinha said, "Had he directly told me about his willingness to contest the seat, I could have left my claim. Seats and posts are not very important for me."

Sinha said he was not a child angling for a lollypop and that he would be "excited" on getting the seat. To him fighting elections was a responsibility.

He also dismissed suggestions of a link between his meeting the SP general secretary Amar Singh here yesterday and the party announcement of his candidature.

"Singh is my personal friend and I had gone to enquire about his health," he said, adding he had friends in all parties, including Lalu Prasad Yadav.