Ketaki Singh, the BJP MLA from Bansdih, Ballia, Uttar Pradesh, is frequently in the news for her statements. She is back in the headlines due to her recent comments regarding Akhilesh Yadav, the chief of the Samajwadi Party and former Chief Minister of UP. Before delving into this latest controversy, let’s examine Ketaki Singh’s background and her path in politics.
Before marriage, Ketaki Singh resided in the Durg district of Chhattisgarh. Her husband, Shant Swaroop Singh, holds a high-ranking position in the Indian Railways. Her in-laws’ home is in Baliya Puram, Hanuman Nagar, Durg city, with her parental home situated nearby. After marrying, Ketaki began living in her husband’s ancestral village.
In the 2017 Assembly elections, Ketaki Singh’s bid for a ticket was thwarted due to the BJP-SBSP alliance, leading her to run as an independent. Despite the loss, she performed well, fiercely contesting against Ram Govind Chaudhary of the Samajwadi Party. She lost to Chaudhary by a slim margin of 1,687 votes.
Subsequently, Ketaki Singh rejoined the BJP and won the Bansdih constituency in the 2022 Assembly elections. She defeated Ram Govind Chaudhary, the senior Samajwadi Party leader and former Leader of the Opposition, by a margin of 21,134 votes. Prior to this, she had contested from Bansdih twice without success.
Ketaki Singh is known for her candid statements, making her a prominent BJP leader and the MLA for the Bansdih constituency in Ballia district. Her active involvement has increased her popularity in the area. She delivered an address in Bhojpuri during the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly’s budget session, which was well-received and widely discussed.
Ketaki Singh’s statements frequently generate controversy. She previously suggested establishing separate medical wings for Muslims in medical colleges, citing potential difficulties in receiving treatment alongside others. She also expressed concerns about Hindus and Muslims sharing the same treatment facilities. Additionally, she threatened to set fire to the tehsil in 2022 following a bulldozer action on a poor person’s home in Ballia.
Her recent remarks have again sparked political tensions. She criticized Akhilesh Yadav, implying that the Samajwadis lacked the decency to even mention returning certain ‘taps.’ Singh stated that while Yadav demands accountability from others, he has not accounted for his own ‘taps.’
Following these remarks, female Samajwadi Party members protested by surrounding Singh’s residence in her absence. They carried taps and chanted slogans against the MLA. Clashes erupted between SP workers and police during the demonstration, with several women being taken into police custody and later sent to the Eco Garden.
Neha Singh, the state vice-president of the SP Mahila Sabha, criticized Ketaki Singh for using derogatory language towards Akhilesh Yadav. She claimed that Singh’s constant use of the phrase ‘tonti-tonti chor’ (tap-tap thief) indicated the BJP’s looming defeat in the upcoming 2027 Assembly elections.