Shatrughan Sinha’s wife Poonam Sinha joins SP, likely to contest Lucknow

India वोट Kar | April 16, 2019

Congress leader Shatrughan Sinha's wife Poonam Sinha joins SP, may contest from Lucknow

On Tuesday, Poonam Sinha, wife of Congress leader Shatrughan Sinha, became a member of the Samajwadi Party (SP), days after her husband moved to the Congress. She is expected to contest from Lucknow as the SP-BSP-RLD alliance’s candidate against Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

Joining the SP

The 69-year-old was inducted into the party by Kannauj MP Dimple Yadav, wife of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav. SP leader Ravidas Mehrotra was quoted as saying that Poonam Sinha would be the alliance’s candidate from Lucknow and would file her nomination on 18 April. He appealed to the Congress not to field a candidate in the seat so that the BJP could be defeated.

The Lucknow seat

Lucknow has been a BJP stronghold since 1991. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee won it five times in a row. BJP leader Lalji Tandon won the seat in 2009, and Rajnath Singh was elected from it in 2014. Singh is seeking re-election from the constituency.

A family on two sides

The SP-BSP-RLD alliance has kept the Congress out of its arrangement in Uttar Pradesh, which made Poonam Sinha’s move to the SP notable, coming soon after her husband switched from the BJP to the Congress on 6 April. The actor-turned-politician, who has been a sharp critic of the BJP since Narendra Modi became prime minister, is seeking re-election from Patna Sahib in Bihar, where he faces Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.