Hours after Poonam Sinha, wife of Shatrughan Sinha, joined the Samajwadi Party (SP) on Tuesday to contest from Lucknow, Congress fielded its own candidate from the city.
The grand old party has picked self-styled spiritual guru Acharya Pramod Krishnam as its Lucknow candidate.
Congress Central Election Committee announces candidate for ensuing elections to the Lok Sabha. pic.twitter.com/KpdMlDbsDx
— Congress (@INCIndia) April 16, 2019
Earlier, it was being speculated that Congress may not field its candidate against the SP-BSP candidate from the capital city of Uttar Pradesh which could pave the way for a one-on-one face-off between Poonam Sinha and Rajnath Singh.
This development comes despite the fact that the Poonam Sinha’s husband, actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha, had joined the Congress last week, after quitting the BJP, after nearly three decades.
ALSO READ: Poonam Sinha joins SP, to contest from Lucknow against Rajnath Singh
Union Home Minister is running for a fifth term in parliament from Lucknow.
Asked about Poonam Sinha as a rival, Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday: “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 (we will maintain the decorum that is the legacy of Lucknow).”
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
Acharya Pramod Krishnam, who runs an ashram in Sambhal, was the Congress’s candidate from Sambhal in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections but finished fifth.
Krishnam’s candidature was announced by the Congress along with two other names for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.
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.