Kolkata: Veteran actor and Trinamool Congress (TMC) Member of Parliament, Shatrughan Sinha, has stirred controversy within his party by publicly congratulating Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and praising the NDA's victory in the recent Bihar Assembly elections. The NDA secured a sweeping victory, capturing over 200 of the 243 seats in the Bihar Assembly. The BJP emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats, while JD(U) secured 85.

Sinha's congratulatory message, posted on X (formerly Twitter), lauded the people of Bihar for electing the government they "deserve" and commended Nitish Kumar for being Bihar's "longest-serving, trusted, tried, tested & successful CM". He further added that Kumar "seems to have lived up to people's expectations" and extended his best wishes to all involved. Sinha tagged prominent leaders, including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and other INDIA alliance leaders, in his post.

The seemingly innocuous message has not been well-received by some members of the TMC, who believe that Sinha's comments could potentially harm the party's image and message. Some TMC leaders have pointed out that Sinha's praise for a BJP-aligned leader sends a mixed signal, especially with West Bengal gearing up for the 2026 Assembly polls.

TMC spokesperson Arup Chakraborty acknowledged Sinha's remarks as "personal" and not reflective of the party's official stance. Chakraborty also noted Sinha's background and crucial role in Bihar politics, suggesting that his comments might stem from that perspective. However, he emphasized that elected representatives should avoid statements that could upset party members or embarrass party leaders. Another TMC spokesperson, Debangshu Bhattacharya, suggested that Sinha's connection to Bihar might have influenced his comments.

Shatrughan Sinha has a long and varied political history. He was a member of the BJP, serving as a Rajya Sabha MP from 1996 to 2008 and a Union Minister under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He later won the Patna Sahib Lok Sabha seat on a BJP ticket in 2009 and 2014. Sinha then joined the Indian National Congress in 2019 before eventually finding his way to the TMC in 2022. He won the Asansol Lok Sabha seat in a 2022 by-election and was re-elected in 2024.

This isn't the first instance of Sinha's views diverging from the TMC's official line. He previously faced criticism for his comments on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). Despite these differences, the TMC recognizes Sinha's significant role in Bihar politics and his popularity as a veteran actor.

The Bihar election results saw the NDA securing 202 seats, a comfortable majority in the 243-member assembly. The BJP won 89 seats, becoming the single largest party, while the JD(U) secured 85. The RJD, a major opposition party, was reduced to 25 seats, and the Congress won only six. Other parties, including the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), also won seats.