Press Trust of India

New Delhi, Jan 22: Days after Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt joined it, the Samajwadi Party on Thursday said that it was "in contact" with actor-turned-BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha but the discussions have been "informal".

"Shatrughan Sinha is a faithful leader of the BJP and I don't think he will go anywhere till his request for a Lok Sabha ticket from Patna Saheb is rejected by his party," SP general secretary Amar Singh told reporters in New Delhi.

"I am in contact with him on a regular basis. In fact, we spoke today also. However, our discussions have been informal. It does not come under the definition of a political discussion...But possibilities cannot be ruled out," said Singh.

Singh said that the BJP has "fully exploited" capabilities of actors like Sinha, Hema Malini and Smriti Irani.

"If Sinha is seeking a ticket from the BJP, it is his fundamental right. He is not blackmailing BJP. My discussions with him till now have not been political," he added.

Claiming that BJP leader Arun Jaitley has been behind the influx of 'star power' into the party's fold, Singh said, "Now when we have Sanjay Dutt with us, they are complaining. They can't chew the fact that we have managed to bring him into our fold."