Aparupa Poddar (politician) explained

Aparupa Poddar
Birth Name:Aparupa Poddar
Birth Date:1986 1, df=yes
Residence:28, Gandhi Sarak, Rishra, Serampore - 712248, West Bengal, India
Office1:Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
Constituency1:Arambagh
Term Start1:2014
Term End1:2024
Predecessor1:Sakti Mohan Malik
Successor1:Mitali Bag
Spouse:Mohd. Shakir Ali
Children:3
Alma Mater:Hooghly Mohsin College The University of Burdwan (M.A.) Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University, Hyderabad (LL.B) (LL.M)

Afrin Ali née Aparupa Poddar (born 8 January 1986) is an Indian politician and a member of parliament to the 16th 17th Lok Sabha from Arambagh (Lok Sabha constituency), West Bengal.[1] [2] She won the 2014 & 2019 Indian general election as an All India Trinamool Congress candidate.[3]

Controversies

The allegations relating to the first controversy, regarding financial corruption, were confirmed to be true on 5 October 2017, when she confessed that she had taken a bribe from Narada News boss Mathew Samuel as part of Narada sting operation.[4]

The allegations regarding the second controversy are regarding her religion. Born into a Hindu family and named Aparupa Poddar at birth, she married a Muslim man. She then stood for election from a parliamentary constituency which is reserved for those belonging to the scheduled castes. The Bharatiya Janata Party lodged a complaint with the Election Commission seeking cancellation of her candidature on the plea that she had converted to Islam and hence she did not belong to a scheduled caste. Aparupa Poddar then claimed, that she had changed her name but not her religion.[5]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Members: Lok Sabha . loksabhaph.nic.in . 26 August 2021.
  2. Web site: Aparupa Poddar (Afrin Ali) . PRSIndia . 26 August 2021.
  3. Web site: Constituencywise-All Candidates. 17 May 2014. 17 May 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140517163645/http://eciresults.nic.in/ConstituencywiseS2529.htm?ac=29. dead.
  4. Web site: Narada sting: Trinamool MP admits taking Rs 3 lakh bribe.
  5. Web site: Name game: Arambagh TMC candidate lands herself in trouble . Hindustan Times, Kolkata, 10 April 2014 . 13 June 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140608140626/http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx . 8 June 2014 .