Anju Bala
{{pp-pc1}}
{{short description|Indian politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2015}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Anju Bala
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date ={{Birth date and age|1979|9|6|df=y}}
| birth_place = Kathua, Jammu and Kashmir, India
| residence = Village Sunasi, Bilgram, Uttar Pradesh{{cite web|title=Sixteenth Lok Sabha- Members Bioprofile|url=http://164.100.47.132/LssNew/Members/Biography.aspx?mpsno=4724|publisher=Government of India|access-date=15 October 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150723020451/http://164.100.47.132/LssNew/Members/Biography.aspx?mpsno=4724 | archive-date = 23 July 2015 | url-status = dead}}
| constituency = Misrikh
| office = Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
| term_start = 26 May 2014
| term_end = 24 May 2019
| predecessor = Ashok Kumar Rawat
| successor = Ashok Kumar Rawat
| party = Independent
| otherparty = Bharatiya Janata Party (expelled in February 2022)
| nationality = Indian
| spouse = Krishna Kumar Singh
| profession = Industrialist, Agriculturist, Civil Servant, Builder
| alma_mater = Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University (M.A.)
University of Jammu (M.A.)
| children = 2 (1 son, 1 daughter)
| native_name =
}}
Anju Bala (born 6 September 1979) is an Indian politician who has been a Member of Lok Sabha for the Misrikh constituency since the 2014 Indian general election. Bala entered active politics in 2010 and was elected the Block Pramukh (president) of Mallawan. Three years later, she joined the Bharatiya Janata Party and was elected to the Lok Sabha the following year. She is a postgraduate in Hindi and Sanskrit. Her husband Krishna Kumar Singh is a former legislator in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly. In February 2022 she was expelled from Bharatiya Janata Party.{{Cite web |date=2022-02-18 |title=UP Chunav: BJP expels National Scheduled Castes Commission member Anju Bala from the party, this leader also came under attack |url=https://newsbuzz.live/states-news/uttar-pradesh-news/up-chunav-bjp-expels-national-scheduled-castes-commission-member-anju-bala-from-the-party-this-leader-also-came-under-attack/ |access-date=2022-09-21 |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |date=2022-02-18 |title=UP Chunav: BJP ने राष्ट्रीय अनुसूचित जाति आयोग की सदस्य अंजू बाला को पार्टी से निकाला, इस नेता पर भी गिरी गाज |url=https://hindi.news18.com/news/uttar-pradesh/hardoi-bjp-expelled-national-commission-for-scheduled-castes-members-anju-bala-and-akhilesh-pathak-from-party-uttar-pradesh-election-nodark-4018829.html |access-date=2022-09-21 |website=News18 हिंदी |language=hi}}
Early life
Anju Bala was born on 6 September 1979 at Kathua, Jammu Kashmir to Ravinder Nath and Trishala Devi,{{cite web |title=Anju Bala |url=https://m.dailyhunt.in/news/india/english/news+patrolling-epaper-newspatr/anju+bala-newsid-86769277 |publisher=Daily Hunt |access-date=8 March 2019}} both of whom belong to the Chamar caste.{{cite web |title=भाजपा प्रत्याशी पर फर्जी जाति प्रमाणपत्र का आरोप | trans-title = BJP candidate is accused of forging her caste certificate |url=https://www.amarujala.com/uttar-pradesh/hardoi/Hardoi-177600-37 |publisher=Amar Ujala |access-date=11 March 2019 |date=11 April 2014}} She completed her postgraduate education in Sanskrit at the University of Jammu in 2007. Three years later, she graduated from Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University with a degree in Hindi.{{cite web |title=Anju Bala |url=http://www.myneta.info/ls2014/candidate.php?candidate_id=5768 |publisher=My Neta |access-date=8 March 2019}}
Political career
Bala participated in youth politics during her college life. In 2010, she was elected as block pramukh (president) of Mallawan. She said her husband persuaded her to contest the block pramukh and parliamentary elections.{{cite news |title=32 newly elected under-35 MPs & what they intend to do for their constituencies |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/32-newly-elected-under-35-mps-what-they-intend-to-do-for-their-constituencies/articleshow/35569860.cms |newspaper=The Economic Times |access-date=16 March 2019 |date=25 May 2014|last1=Seetharaman |first1=G. |last2=Balasubramanyam |first2=K. R. }}
In 2013, Bala joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. In the 2014 Indian general election, she contested Misrikh constituency and defeated her nearest rival Ashok Kumar Rawat of the Bahujan Samaj Party by a margin of 87,363 votes.{{cite web |title=Lok Sabha elections results 2014: Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/politics/lok-sabha-elections-results-2014-uttar-pradesh/ |publisher=The Indian Express |access-date=8 March 2019 |date=17 May 2014}}{{cite web |title=4TH LIST OF CANDIDATES FOR LOK SABHA ELECTION 2014 |url=http://www.bjp.org/en/media-resources/press-releases/4th-list-of-candidates-for-lok-sabha-election-2014 |publisher=Bharatiya Janata Party |access-date=8 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140331230958/http://www.bjp.org/en/media-resources/press-releases/4th-list-of-candidates-for-lok-sabha-election-2014 |archive-date=31 March 2014 |date=15 March 2014}} Upon being elected, she said her first priorities as an MP were making herself available to the residents of her constituency, constructing new roads and ensuring a continuous supply of electricity.
On 26 February 2018, Bala adopted Tejipur village under a rural development program called Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana. She had previously adopted Sihordwar Shikoh and Islam Nagar villages.{{cite web |title=सांसद अंजू बाला ने चौपाल आयोजित कर गोद लिये गांव के विकास कार्य की जानकारी ली |url=https://m.dailyhunt.in/news/india/hindi/phirbhi+in-epaper-phirbi/sansad+anju+bala+ne+chaupal+aayojit+kar+god+liye+ganv+ke+vikas+kary+ki+janakari+li-newsid-82572665 |publisher=Daily Hunt |access-date=8 March 2019 |language=hi |date=26 February 2018}}{{cite web |title=अंजू बाला के सांसद आदर्श ग्राम योजना के तहत मिस्रिख के तेजीपुर गाँव का #REALITYCHECK | trans-title = The #REALITYCHECK of the village Tejipur adopted by MP Anju Bala of Misrikh under Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana |url=https://www.uttarpradesh.org/rate-your-leader/anju-bala-sansad-had-adopted-tejipur-village-in-sansad-adarsh-gram-yojna-233177/ |publisher=Uttar Pradesh |access-date=8 March 2019 |language=hi}}
During Bala's tenure as an MP, she used 90.21% of {{INR convert|17.5|c}} that was released under the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme fund.{{cite web |title=STATE:Uttar Pradesh |url=https://www.mplads.gov.in/MPLADS/UploadedFiles/HTML/16ls/lsstat24.htm |publisher=MPLADS |access-date=11 March 2019}} On 22 March 2019, the party did not renominate her for the upcoming 2019 Indian general election.{{cite news |title=BJP springs surprise, denies tickets to 6 sitting MPs in UP |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/elections/lok-sabha/uttar-pradesh/bjp-springs-surprise-denies-tickets-to-6-sitting-mps-in-up/articleshow/68520467.cms |newspaper=The Economic Times |access-date=24 March 2019 |date=22 March 2019}}
In February 2022 she was expelled from Bharatiya Janata Party.{{Cite web |date=2022-02-18 |title=UP Chunav: BJP expels National Scheduled Castes Commission member Anju Bala from the party, this leader also came under attack |url=https://newsbuzz.live/states-news/uttar-pradesh-news/up-chunav-bjp-expels-national-scheduled-castes-commission-member-anju-bala-from-the-party-this-leader-also-came-under-attack/ |access-date=2022-09-21 |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |date=2022-02-18 |title=UP Chunav: BJP ने राष्ट्रीय अनुसूचित जाति आयोग की सदस्य अंजू बाला को पार्टी से निकाला, इस नेता पर भी गिरी गाज |url=https://hindi.news18.com/news/uttar-pradesh/hardoi-bjp-expelled-national-commission-for-scheduled-castes-members-anju-bala-and-akhilesh-pathak-from-party-uttar-pradesh-election-nodark-4018829.html |access-date=2022-09-21 |website=News18 हिंदी |language=hi}}
Views
Bala believes violence against cows could be curbed by making them the national animal of India and in August 2017, she demanded this course of action in Lok Sabha.{{cite web |title=Parliament Day 12 highlights: Demonetisation has led to squeezing of terror funds, says Arun Jaitley |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/parliament-day-12-live-updates-bills-and-discussion/story-43XpNM8WZZT0cyk7SWEf3I.html |publisher=Hindustan Times |access-date=8 March 2019 |date=1 August 2017}} She is of the opinion that inflation can be controlled by regulating the prices of petroleum products. She also believes the promotion of agriculture will help create jobs, that education reduces poverty and that bringing youth into politics could help a new style of political thinking to emerge. Bala has supported banknote demonetisation because she thinks it would help authorities locate black money in India.{{cite web |title=सांसद अंजू बाला ने रवाना किया परिवर्तन रथ | trans-title = MP Anju Bala sails off the Parivartan chariot |url=https://www.amarujala.com/uttar-pradesh/hardoi/mp-anju-bala-chariot-rushed-changes |publisher=Amar Ujala |access-date=11 March 2019 |language=hi |date=10 November 2016}}
Personal life
Bala married Krishna Kumar Singh of Uttar Pradesh on 26 January 2008. Singh represented Mallawan constituency in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly from 2002 to 2012 as a member of Bahujan Samaj Party. They have two children.{{cite web |last1=Misra |first1=Ashish |title=Mishrikh MP Anju Bala of BJP |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/elections/new-mps-2014/story/mishrikh-mp-anju-bala-of-bjp-195146-2014-05-30 |publisher=India Today |access-date=8 March 2019 |date=30 May 2014}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
{{16th LS members from Uttar Pradesh|state=expanded}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bala, Anju}}
Category:Women in Uttar Pradesh politics
Category:Lok Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh
Category:People from Hardoi district
Category:People from Kathua district
Category:Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Uttar Pradesh