Will fight with full dignity: Rajnath Singh welcomes Poonam Sinha as opponent from Lucknow

Union Home Minister and BJP leader Rajnath Singh on Tuesday reacted over Shatrughan Sinha's wife Poonam Sinha contesting from Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow Lok Sabha seat on a SP ticket.

Singh said that someone must contest. Calling Lucknow the land of "tehzeeb (etiquette)" he said the battle will be fought with full dignity.

"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," Singh told media today. 

Veteran actor and former BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha's wife Poonam Sinha joined Samajwadi Party on Tuesday in the presence of Kannauj MP Dimple Yadav.

The development comes just 10 days after Shatrughan Sinha joined Congress and was given a ticket from Bihar's Patna Sahib. Poonam Sinha is set to take Union Minister and BJP leader Rajnath Singh from Lucknow Lok Sabha seat. Poonam Sinha will file nomination on April 18.

The SP had urged Congress party not to field a candidate from Lucknow to ensure BJP's defeat. 

Congress, later in the day, released list of three names for Lok Sabha polls. Acharya Pramod Krishnam will take on Rajnath Singh, Poonam Sinha from Lucknow.

Vinay Kumar Pandey is Congress' candidate from Kaiserganj and Pankaj Sanghvi from Indore, Madhya Pradesh.