Delhi Mahila Cong chief steps down; hits out at Rahul, Maken

April 20, 2017

New Delhi, Apr 20: The president of Delhi Mahila Congress, Barkha Singh today stepped down from her post but said she would not quit the party even as she hit out at its vice president Rahul Gandhi and Delhi unit chief Ajay Maken.

Singh claimed to be a "loyal soldier" of the party and dismissed any plans to quit the Congress.
"I will not quit Congress and continue to wage my war within the party," she said.

Delhi Congress' chief spokesperson Sharmishtha Mukherjee said that Singh was settling her "personal grudges" and "hurting" party interests at a crucial time when MCD polls are round the corner.

"She is not a 'loyal soldier' but a back-stabber who is deliberately trying to harm the party at a crucial juncture," Mukherjee said.

However, Singh, who had complained against "neglect" of women workers in ticket distribution for the municipal elections, alleged that the voice of party workers was "snubbed" and their grievances were not addressed.

"Delhi Congress president (Maken) not only misbehaved with me but also with other office bearers of Mahila Congress at his residence. When the matter was brought to the notice of Rahul Gandhi, nothing happened," said Singh, a former chairperson of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW).

Charging the Congress vice president with not meeting party leaders, she said Gandhi was "reluctant" to address "issues" within the party organisation.

"Why is he scared of meeting his own party members? Several senior leaders have quit the party because of this very reason - his reluctance over addressing issues that exist within the organisation," she said.

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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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