Actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha, a close supporter of party veteran L K Advani, will not be attending the crucial BJP national executive meeting at Goa today on health grounds.

"Sinha who is in Mumbai is down with cold, cough and flu for the past one week and will not be going to Goa," sources close to Sinha told PTI.

The BJP leadership has been informed about the ill health of Sinha, a Lok Sabha member from Patna Saheb in Bihar, who has on several occasion said that he considered Advani his mentor and guardian.

Advani will also skip the Goa conclave on grounds of ill health, triggering speculation about his reported reservations on projecting Narendra Modi as the next prime ministerial candidate of the party.

Sinha has in the past said that given the stature and vision of Advani the country and party needed him to lead.

Sinha, who served as union minister in the NDA government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, has been vocal on issues like giving a second term to former party president Nitin Gadkari and favoured the appointment of Ranjit Sinha as CBI Director though top party leaders were opposed to it.