Jailed strongman Dhananjay Singh’s wife is BSP’s surprise pick for Jaunpur LS seat: Who is Srikala Reddy Singh?

Referring to her husband’s incarceration in a case of extortion and kidnapping, Srikala says, “My husband has been a victim of political animosity. The way he has been targeted before the election does not change the support he has from the people of Jaunpur. Moreover, the other two candidates are outsiders and would leave the constituency. We have been here in Jaunpur and would be here for our people.”

Srikala, whose family hails from Telangana, did her schooling in Chennai, and is an architect by profession.

Asserting that she is not new to politics, Srikala says: “This may be my Lok Sabha election debut, but I have worked on the ground. I have seen my mother, who was the village head as well as my father, who was an Independent MLA from Huzurnagar Assembly work as well. I have watched my husband give 100 per cent to the people of the constituency day and night. I have also worked for people as the chairperson of Zila Parishad for the past three years.”

She, however, admits that politics in Uttar Pradesh and in the South is “quite a lot different”. “There are many factors in the North, including caste, that play a bigger role along development works.

When asked if the language is a barrier that constrains her, Srikala replies: “Hindi samajh aur bol leti hun. Teen sal ho gaye. Vaise bhi, bhav agar sahi hote hain toh log bhasha samjh lete hain (I can now speak and understand Hindi. It has been three years since I was elected. Moreover, if your intentions are right, then people understand you).”

Banking on her husband’s support base in Jaunpur, as well as her own political experience to sail through the contest, Srikala wants people to see “the other side” of Dhananjay Singh.

Notably, Dhananjay had won from Jaunpur 15 years ago during the 2009 Lok Sabha polls on a BSP ticket. Since then, the seat has been won by the BJP and BSP one time each. In 2014, BSP’s Krishna Pratap Singh had won by defeating Subhash Pandey of BSP by a margin of over 2 lakh votes. Dhananjay Singh, who had contested as an Independent. Had polled about 64,000 votes.

In the last Lok Sabha elections in 2019, BSP’s Shyam Singh Yadav won the seat by polling about 5 lakh votes. The BSP had formed an alliance with the SP. BJP’s Krishna Pratap Singh had come second, securing about 4.40 lakh votes.

Jaunpur, which has a dominant population of Muslims, has so far been dominated either by Yadavs or Thakurs. Like Kripa Shankar Singh, Dhananjay Singh is also a Thakur.