States » NorthPosted at: Oct 11 2026 7:37PM


Bhagat Singh's photo in Punjab voter list sparks row

Neeraj Bali
Chandigarh, Oct 11 (UNI) The alleged appearance of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh's photograph against a voter's name in Punjab's electoral rolls has triggered a fresh political controversy, bringing renewed attention to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's allegations of voter-list manipulation in Haryana and a separate row involving a Punjab BJP leader's purported remarks about deleting thousands of votes.
Former Punjab Congress president and Ludhiana MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring questioned how a photograph resembling Bhagat Singh, who was executed by the British in 1931, could appear against a registered voter's name in the Ludhiana East assembly constituency.
According to Congress leaders, the photograph appeared against serial number 422 at polling booth 38, raising concerns about the accuracy of electoral records ahead of the 2027 Punjab assembly elections.
"Bas yahi dekhna baaki reh gaya tha," Warring said in a social media post, expressing outrage over the alleged discrepancy.
He demanded an impartial investigation by the Election Commission and called for responsibility to be fixed for errors in voter lists.
"Loktantra mein matdata soochi ki shuddhta aur chunav prakriya ki vishwasniyata se koi samjhauta nahi hona chahiye," Warring said.
Former Congress legislator and Ludhiana urban Congress president Sanjay Talwar also flagged eight other entries allegedly carrying incorrect photographs at the same polling booth.
Talwar demanded scrutiny of electoral rolls across all 235 polling booths in Ludhiana East, arguing that multiple discrepancies at a single booth warranted a wider examination.
The controversy has brought renewed attention to Rahul Gandhi's allegations of electoral manipulation during the 2024 Haryana assembly elections.
At a November 2025 press conference, Gandhi alleged that the photograph of a Brazilian woman appeared repeatedly in Haryana's electoral rolls under different names, including Seema, Sweety and Saraswati.
"Who is this lady? What is her name? Where does she come from? But she votes 22 times in Haryana," Gandhi said while displaying electoral roll extracts.
Gandhi further alleged that approximately 2.5 million voter entries in Haryana were fraudulent, accusing the BJP and the Election Commission of facilitating electoral manipulation.
The BJP and election authorities rejected allegations of electoral fraud. The presence of repeated or incorrect photographs in voter lists does not, by itself, establish that fraudulent votes were cast.
The Ludhiana controversy has also brought back into focus a July 2026 political row involving Punjab BJP state secretary and Dinanagar assembly constituency in-charge Renu Kashyap.
A video purportedly recorded during a BJP workers' meeting in Dinanagar, Pathankot district, on July 2 showed Kashyap allegedly suggesting that 20,000 to 25,000 votes could be removed during the electoral roll revision exercise to help elect a BJP legislator.
"Get the SIR done, get 20,000-25,000 votes deleted, and get your own MLA elected," Kashyap was allegedly heard saying in the widely circulated video.
The remarks drew criticism from Congress leaders, including Warring, who was then serving as Punjab Congress president.
Warring had demanded immediate Election Commission intervention, arguing that no genuine voter should be deprived of the constitutional right to vote.
Kashyap, however, rejected allegations that she had advocated the deletion of genuine voters' names, maintaining that her remarks had been taken out of context.
"When I spoke about deleting votes, I only meant removing fake, duplicate, or illegal entries that violate election rules," Kashyap said while defending her statement.
She also alleged that the viral footage might have been edited or manipulated to damage her reputation.
The Dinanagar administration subsequently initiated an inquiry into the video's authenticity.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate Gagandeep Singh had said the administration was examining the footage and had sought Kashyap's explanation. The outcome of that inquiry could not immediately be established.
The latest controversy comes amid heightened political scrutiny of electoral rolls, with the Congress repeatedly questioning the transparency of voter-list revisions.
Pargat Singh, who replaced Warring as Punjab Congress president earlier this month, formally assumed charge on Sunday as the party prepares for the 2027 assembly elections.
Meanwhile, Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain said the administration would obtain details from the electoral registration officer and examine the alleged discrepancy involving Bhagat Singh's photograph.
The three controversies concern separate incidents and do not establish a coordinated pattern of electoral fraud. However, they have renewed questions about the accuracy of electoral records, the safeguards governing voter-list revisions and the accountability of election officials.
The authenticity of the disputed Ludhiana entry, the circumstances surrounding the photograph's appearance and any possible wrongdoing remain subject to official verification.
UNI NB RSA
Tags: #Bhagat Singh's photo in Punjab voter list sparks row
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