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Trinamool Congress MP Shatrughan Sinha cast his vote during the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections on Thursday. He highlighted the importance of exercising the franchise as a democratic responsibility as well as his connection to the state. “I am going to cast my vote. For the first time in Bengal, in Asansol, I am going to vote along with these people. I am going to exercise my right and fulfill my duty as a voter…” Sinha said outside the polling booth.

Emphasising his identity and commitment to the democratic process, he stressed: “I am not just Bihari Babu, I am a Bengali Babu, and I am truly a Hindustani Babu. Voting is a national duty, and I have always fulfilled it and will continue to do so…” Sinha’s remarks came as voters across West Bengal turned out in significant numbers for the first phase of polling, reflecting strong public participation in the electoral process.

Asansol, West Bengal: TMC MP Shatrughan Sinha says, "I am going to cast my vote. For the first time in Bengal, in Asansol, I am going to vote along with these people. I am going to exercise my right and fulfill my duty as a voter..." pic.twitter.com/yzTISIET0y

— IANS (@ians_india) April 23, 2026

#WATCH | Asansol, West Bengal: TMC MP Shatrughan Sinha says, "...Some call me 'Bengali Babu', some call me 'Bihari Babu', but in reality, I am a 'Hindustani Babu'... As a citizen, I have come here to fulfil my duty. I am now a voter of Asansol, and I have come here to vote... It… https://t.co/AiLQr1JR5j pic.twitter.com/Gr7kexRoiy

— ANI (@ANI) April 23, 2026

Sinha, born in Patna and who earlier contested from the Patna Sahib constituency suddenly made a shift, is now voting in West Bengal's Asansol. The question is why is Bihar's icon voting in Asansol. 

Why Shatrughan Voted In Asansol?

Shatrughan Sinha went from Bihar to West Bengal after he didn't get a ticket from the Bharatiya Janata Party. The "Bihari boy" 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.

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.