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

The keenly watched contest in Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur Lok Sabha constituency, which till now looked like a straight fight between BJP’s Kripa Shankar Singh and Samajwadi Party’s Babu Singh Kushwaha, has suddenly become a three-cornered one with the entry of Srikala Reddy Singh, the wife of jailed strongman-politician Dhananjay Singh, on a BSP ticket.

Srikala, 53, is the sitting zila parishad chairman of Jaunpur, the post she was elected to in 2022.

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.