Controversy erupted after a picture resembling freedom fighter Bhagat Singh appeared against a voter name in Punjab’s electoral rolls.
The incident was brought to light by Congress leader Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, who shared the picture through a social media post.
The photograph resembling Bhagat Singh was found against the voter listed at serial number 422 in Part 38 of the electoral roll for the Ludhiana East Assembly constituency. Sharing the picture from the document, Singh wrote, “Bas Yahi Dekhna Baki Tha (only this remained to be witnessed).
What did the post say?
Sharing the hard-hitting post on X, Singh said, “A photograph of Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh Ji has been affixed in front of a voter’s name in the Ludhiana East voter list. It is being claimed that this photograph is placed opposite serial number 422 at booth number 38.
Previously, cases of irregularities regarding photographs had also surfaced in Haryana’s voter list. Now, this claimed lapse in Punjab raises serious questions about the credibility of the electoral process.”
Singh then slammed the election commission and asked for accountability from the administration. “Election Commission, respond! How are such errors occurring in the voter lists? Who will investigate them, and whose accountability will be fixed?”
“The Election Commission should conduct an impartial investigation into this matter and make the facts public. In a democracy, there should be no compromise on the purity of the voter list and the credibility of the electoral process,” Singh wrote.
How did the authorities respond?
To this, Ludhiana’s district electoral officer countered Singh’s claims and termed it misleading and clarified its stance. The official said that the incorrect photograph appeared in an earlier electoral roll and was carried forward into the draft roll published on August 13, 2026.
The administration stated that the discrepancy was detected during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) verification process and has since been corrected. The final electoral roll, carrying the correct photograph, has been prepared and is scheduled to be published on Monday.
The controversy comes amid renewed scrutiny of electoral rolls, following Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of electoral irregularities in Haryana and a separate row over purported remarks by a Punjab BJP leader about deleting thousands of votes.