Bhagat Singh Photo On Ludhiana Voter Roll Sparks Row, Authorities Clarify

An alleged photograph of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh appearing against a voter's name in Punjab's electoral rolls has triggered a political row, with the district administration clarifying that the discrepancy had already been detected and corrected.

Congress leader Amarinder Singh Raja Warring flagged the issue after a 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.

"Bas yahi dekhna baaki reh gaya tha (only this remained to be witnessed)," Warring said in a social media post, expressing outrage over the alleged error.

Ludhiana's district electoral officer, however, termed the claim misleading, clarifying that the incorrect photograph appeared in an earlier electoral roll and was carried forward into the draft roll published on August 13, 2026.

According to the administration, 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 October 12.

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.