Ketaki Singh, the BJP MLA from Bansdih, Ballia, Uttar Pradesh, frequently grabs headlines for her statements. She is once again in the news. She made a comment about Akhilesh Yadav, the chief of the Samajwadi Party and former Chief Minister of UP, that has created a stir. Before discussing her statement, let’s explore who Ketaki Singh is and her political journey.
Before her marriage, Ketaki Singh lived in the Durg district of Chhattisgarh. Her husband’s name is Shant Swaroop Singh, who holds a senior position in the Indian Railways. Ketaki Singh’s in-laws’ home is in Baliya Puram, Hanuman Nagar, Durg city, and her parental home is about 100 meters away. After marriage, Ketaki started living in her husband’s ancestral village.
In the 2017 assembly elections, her ticket was cut due to the alliance between Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) and BJP, after which she contested as an independent. She lost the election, but Ketaki Singh performed well. After not getting a ticket from the BJP, she gave a tough fight to Ram Govind Chaudhary of the Samajwadi Party as an independent candidate. In this election, Ketaki lost to Ram Govind Chaudhary by a margin of only 1,687 votes.
Ketaki Singh rejoined the BJP and won the Bansdih assembly seat in the Ballia district in the 2022 assembly elections. In this election, she defeated senior Samajwadi Party leader and former Leader of the Opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary. Ketaki Singh defeated SP leader Ram Govind Chaudhary by a margin of 21,134 votes. Earlier, she contested from Bansdih twice but lost both times.
Ketaki Singh is a fiery BJP leader and MLA from the Bansdih assembly seat in the Ballia district. She is known for her outspoken statements. Her activism has made her popular in the area. She gave her address in Bhojpuri in the budget session of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, which was widely discussed. Her style impressed everyone.
Ketaki Singh is often in the news for her statements. You may recall that a few months ago, she said that the government should build a separate wing for Muslims in medical colleges because they might have difficulty in getting treatment with us. She also said that it is unknown what Hindus might find on which thing spat upon in the same wing of Hindus and Muslims for treatment. There was a lot of uproar over her statement.
In 2022, after a bulldozer was run on the house of a poor person in Ballia, she strongly reprimanded the Tehsildar. Singh even said that if this happened again, she would set the tehsil on fire. This video of hers also went viral on social media.
Once again, she said something that heated up the politics of the state. In fact, Ketaki Singh, taking a jibe at Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, said that these Samajwadis have no shame. After being so insulted, at least they should be able to mention returning the taps. Ketaki Singh said that Akhilesh keeps asking for accounts from everyone, but he never gave an account of his own taps. ‘Return the taps, sir, which you have taken away, the people of UP are looking for them. After that, the account of all the things you are asking for will be given.’
Angry with this statement of Ketaki Singh, the women workers of the Samajwadi Party surrounded her residence in her absence. Women leaders who arrived with taps in their hands raised slogans against the MLA. During this, there was a scuffle between the SP workers and the police. During this, many women were forcibly put in police vehicles and later sent to Eco Garden.
Neha Singh, the state vice-president of the SP Mahila Sabha, said that Ketaki Singh is constantly using derogatory language for Akhilesh Yadav. By saying ‘tonti-tonti chor’ (tap-tap thief) every day, she is making abusive comments about the former Chief Minister, so we have come to donate a tap to her. Neha said that the use of such language indicates that the BJP’s defeat in the upcoming assembly elections 2027 is certain and frustration is visible on their faces.