Poonam Sinha vows ‘kranti’, husband Shatrughan cries ‘khamosh’ BJP

LUCKNOW:

Poonam Sinha

, wife of Congress’s Patna Sahib candidate

Shatrughan Sinha

, filed her nomination on a Samajwadi Party ticket from Lucknow on Thursday, setting the stage for the first meeting ground of BSP, SP and Congress on the 2019

Lok Sabha

campaign trail.


Poonam’s ‘kranti rath’ rolled into

Hazratganj

and then wound its way through the city. Besides her husband, she was accompanied by Samajwadi MP Dimple Yadav and BSP leader Paresh Mishra. The Sinha couple hailed SP chief Akhilesh Yadav as “a youth icon and the future of India’s politics”.

The 90-minute road show in central Lucknow witnessed a sea of red and blue supporters, the colours of the SP-BSP alliance. Marching towards the district magistrate’s office through Hazratganj, the supporters danced to the gathbandhan’s election chorus, “Pasa paltai 19 mein, lehar chhai UP mein (There’s a wave of change in UP)”.

Others on the ‘kranti rath’ were Dimple’s elder daughter Aditi and Sinhas’ twin sons, Luv and Kush, who diligently video-recorded the show. The man of the moment though was Shotgun Shatrughan who did not disappoint onlookers and mouthed his famous “Khamosh!”.

“Jo humare khilaf kaam kar rahe hain, uss one-man show aur two-man army ko… unko khamosh (The one-man Modi show and two-men Modi & Shah army working against us will be silenced),” he hollered to loud applause.

Earlier, in accordance with a mahurat advice from an astrologer, Poonam reached the collectorate office at 11.25am and filed a single set of nomination paper. The mahurat plan was kept under wraps and even took supporters by surprise. There was commotion after reporters and other candidates who came to file their nominations were not allowed to enter the collectorate for some time.

The road show started after Poonam’s return from the collectorate. At 12.35pm, her rath — trailed by hundreds of alliance supporters — rolled from the SP’s office on Vikramaditya Marg and crossed the busy Hazratganj area, bringing traffic to a virtual standstill.

Emerging atop the poll chariot once it reached Hazratganj market, Dimple addressed the crowd first, introducing Poonam and asking people to vote for the development that SP had brought to Lucknow.

Mishra, who is a member of the bar council of UP, said every member of BSP was working on the orders of party chief Mayawati to make the alliance a success. “We will register a historic win, which will be the final nail in the coffin of the current government that has only spread lies in the past five years,” he said.

Borrowing the mike, Poonam said she had received so much love in Lucknow that she would find it hard to return to Mumbai. “Please go and vote; vote for development,” she beseeched.

Shatrughan, who was reportedly unwell, received the loudest cheers though. “I have not seen a more powerful rally. This is the magic of Mulayam, blessings of Mayawatiji and efforts of Ajit Singh. The party is bigger than the person and the country is bigger than the party. I am the chief of the Ramayan family. I am not henpecked; I am a husband who has full support of his wife,” he signed off.