Wife or Party? Shatrughan Sinha's dilemma in Lucknow

Film actor Shatrughan Sinha, who joined Congress recently and was nominated from Patna Sahib Lok Sabha seat in Bihar, found himself in a fix after his wife Poonam Sinha joined the Samajwadi Party (SP) and fielded from Lucknow LS seat against union minister Rajnath Singh.

Interestingly the Congress has fielded a seer Acharya Pramod Krishnam from the seat.

Shatrughan, who joined his wife's roadshow in the state capital before she filed her nomination papers on Thursday, invited criticism from Krishnam for ''preferring'' wife to the party.

''Shatrughan Sinha should campaign for the party....he must follow the party dharma,'' Krishnam said here.

The fiery Bollywood actor was not only present at his wife's roadshow but was also waved at the crowds, which had come out in large numbers to see him.

State Congress leaders were also ''upset'' of Shatrughan's presence in the rival party's roadshow.

''Our candidate will also be filing his nomination papers in a day of two...will he (Shatrughan) join his roadshow also?'' asked a senior UP Congress leader.

He said that the state party unit would apprise the central leadership of the matter and urge it to ask Shatrughan to avoid election rallies of his wife.

''Since SP is our rival here, Shatrughan Sinha will attack our party at the rallies or at least be present on the stage from where the SP leaders criticise us....it can not be tolerated,'' the Congress leader remarked.