After expelled from Cong, Barkha Singh Shukla embraces BJP

April 22, 2017

New Delhi, Apr 22: A day after being expelled for 'anti-party activities` by Congress, Barkha Shukla Singh on Saturday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The former Delhi Commission for Women chief met BJP`s national vice president and Delhi in-charge Shyam Jaju at 1 pm.

She was expelled from the Congress on Friday for six years for undertaking “anti-party activities”.

On Thursday, she had resigned from all party posts raising questions over the leadership of vice president Rahul Gandhi and Delhi unit chief Ajay Maken.

While resigning as chief of DPCC`s women wing, Barkha Singh had said: "Rahul Gandhi is unfit to lead the party." She had, however, vowed not to quit the Congress.

Yesterday also, she hit out at Rahul, saying the decision of expelling her "proved" his "mental bankruptcy" and added that she would take legal recourse against it.

"The Congress is not the Gandhi family's property," Singh said, claiming she had no plans to join the BJP or any other party at this point.

She earlier accused Gandhi of not meeting party leaders and said he was "reluctant" to address "issues" within the organisation. She also levelled allegations of "misbehaviour" against Maken.

Singh, who had complained against "neglect" of women workers in ticket distribution for the April 23 civic polls, alleged that the party workers were "snubbed" and their grievances were not addressed.

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Over 58 lakh names dropped from draft voter list in Bengal ahead of polls

News Network

December 16,2025

The deletion of over 58 lakh names from West Bengal’s draft electoral rolls following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has sparked widespread concern and is likely to deepen political tensions in the poll-bound state.

According to the Election Commission, the revision exercise has identified 24 lakh voters as deceased, 19 lakh as relocated, 12 lakh as missing, and 1.3 lakh as duplicate entries. The draft list, published after the completion of the first phase of SIR, aims to remove errors and duplication from the electoral rolls.

However, the scale of deletions has raised fears that a large number of eligible voters may have been wrongly excluded. The Election Commission has said that individuals whose names are missing can file objections and seek corrections. The final voter list is scheduled to be published in February next year, after which the Assembly election announcement is expected. Notably, the last Special Intensive Revision in Bengal was conducted in 2002.

The development has intensified the political row over the SIR process. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress have strongly opposed the exercise, accusing the Centre and the Election Commission of attempting to disenfranchise lakhs of voters ahead of the elections.

Addressing a rally in Krishnanagar earlier this month, Banerjee urged people to protest if their names were removed from the voter list, alleging intimidation during elections and warning of serious consequences if voting rights were taken away.

The BJP, meanwhile, has defended the revision and accused the Trinamool Congress of politicising the issue to protect what it claims is an illegal voter base. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the ruling party fears losing power due to the removal of deceased, fake, and illegal voters.

The controversy comes amid earlier allegations by the Trinamool Congress that excessive work pressure during the SIR led to the deaths by suicide of some Booth Level Officers (BLOs), for which the party blamed the Election Commission. With the draft list now out, another round of political confrontation appears imminent.

As objections begin to be filed, the focus will be on whether the correction mechanism is accessible, transparent, and timely—critical factors in ensuring that no eligible voter is denied their democratic right ahead of a crucial election.

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