lok-sabha-elections

Updated: May 02, 2020 01:59 IST

The Samajwadi Party has named Poonam Sinha, the wife of actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha, as its candidate from Lucknow Lok Sabha seat against Union home minister Rajnath Singh. SP president Akhilesh Yadav announced Poonam Sinha’s name on Wednesday.

Poonam Sinha joined the party on Tuesday in Lucknow where Dimple Yadav, the wife of Akhilesh Yadav welcomed her in the Samajwadi Party’s fold. At the time of joining the SP, Poonam Sinha had said she “will fight strongly” against Rajnath Singh from Lucknow seat.

Lucknow goes to the polls on May 6 in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections along with 50 other parliamentary constituencies across seven states.

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Poonam Sinha’s entry into politics and joining the SP came days after her husband and the two-time Lok Sabha MP Shatrughan Sinha quit the BJP to join Congress.

Shatrughan Sinha is the Congress candidate from Patna Sahib parliamentary seat in Bihar where he is pitted against Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad who is making his debut in the Lok Sabha elections.

With Poonam Sinha becoming the official candidate of the grand-alliance, also comprising the Bahujan Samaj Party of Mayawati, the electoral battle at Lucknow is expected to see trilateral fight.

The Congress has fielded Acharya Pramod Krishnan from Lucknow Lok Sabha seat. It was being speculated that the Congress might leave the Lucknow seat uncontested to avoid division of votes in the opposition camp.

The Congress’s announcement came despite an appeal from SP leader Ravidas Mehrotra, according to news agency ANI, that it should not field any candidate from Lucknow Lok Sabha seat.

“Poonam Sinha ji will be the SP-BSP-RLD candidate from Lucknow. She will file nomination on April 18. We appeal to the Congress that do not field your candidate from here so that BJP can be defeated,” ANI quoted Ravidas Mehrotra as saying on Tuesday.

Poonam Sinha is likely to file her nomination on Thursday, April 18. Commenting on her candidature from Lucknow, Rajnath Singh had said the BJP would fight the elections with full dignity against Poonam Sinha.

“In a democracy, someone has to contest against someone. We will fight elections with full dignity. Lucknow is known for its good manners and we will fight the polls in the same spirit,” ANI quoted Rajnath Singh as saying.

The SP, the BSP and the Rashtriya Lok Dal led by former Union minister Ajit Singh are in alliance for the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh. The Congress, after being overlooked by the grand-alliance, announced to contest alone in the most populous state.

The BJP is eying to repeat its performance of 2014 in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh. The party had won in 71 Lok Sabha constituencies on its own in the state five years ago while the coalition led by the BJP had bagged 73 seats.