Poonam Sinha, wife of actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha on Tuesday joined the Samajwadi Party (SP) in Lucknow, barely two hours after Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh filed his nomination papers from the Uttar Pradesh’s capital.
SP MP Dimple Yadav was present at the party office and gave the membership to Poonam Sinha. She reached Lucknow earlier and headed straight to the SP office to formally become a member of the party.
आज लखनऊ में सांसद श्रीमती डिम्पल यादव जी की उपस्थिति में श्रीमती पूनम सिन्हा जी ने समाजवादी पार्टी की सदस्यता ग्रहण की। pic.twitter.com/AdjeuaYBc3
— Samajwadi Party (@samajwadiparty) April 16, 2019
When asked to Rajnath on Sinha contesting against him, Singh said, “Yes somebody must contest, that is the beauty of democracy. We will fight elections with full dignity, tehzeeb jo Lucknow ki bohot badi dharohar hai usko bhi hum kayam rakhenge.”
HM Rajnath Singh on Poonam Sinha to contest against him from Lucknow as SP-BSP-RLD candidate: Yes somebody must contest, that is the beauty of democracy. We will fight elections with full dignity, tehzeeb jo Lucknow ki bohot badi dharohar hai usko bhi hum kayam rakhenge. pic.twitter.com/rtFHtIxuqi
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 16, 2019
The party sources said that Poonam Sinha would file her nomination papers on Thursday and she would be the SP-BSP-RLD candidate from Lucknow. Congress was likely to support her.
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The Congress decision not to field any candidate from the state capital paves the way for a one-on-one face-off between Rajnath Singh and Poonam Sinha.
The development comes days after her husband Shatrughan Sinha joined the Congress after quitting the BJP. Polling in UP is being held in all seven phases.
Lucknow will go to poll in the fifth phase on May 6. Results for all the Lok Sabha seats will be announced on May 23.