
Rajesh Kumar Singh
Rajesh Kumar Singh is a special correspondent at HT Lucknow. He covers State Home Department, State Police, Central police agencies,BSP, Health Department, UP Chief Electoral Officer, Irrigation Department, Mining and, Lokayukta.
Articles by Rajesh Kumar Singh

BJP shifts focus to UP Assembly polls, stage set for rejig in party, cabinet
By Rajesh Kumar Singh | Edited by Abhinav Sahay, Lucknow
PUBLISHED ON JAN 22, 2021 08:58 AM IST
- BJP president JP Nadda is expected to discuss party's strategy for the upcoming panchayat polls and preparations for the assembly elections. Nadda will also discuss co-ordination between the organisation and the government, said a BJP leader.

Row over Hindutva icon Veer Savarkar’s portrait in UP Legislative Council
By Rajesh Kumar Singh | Edited by Abhinav Sahay, Lucknow
PUBLISHED ON JAN 21, 2021 09:07 AM IST
- A Congress MLC objected to Savarkar's portrait and termed it's inclusion in the gallery to be an insult to other freedom fighters, who he said, did not bow to the atrocities of the British during the freedom struggle.

Savarkar’s portrait in Uttar Pradesh House triggers row
UPDATED ON JAN 21, 2021 06:33 AM IST
The portrait at the picture gallery was inaugurated by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday.

Savarkar portrait in UP Legislative Council picture gallery sparks row
PUBLISHED ON JAN 20, 2021 11:50 PM IST
- The Legislative Council chairman has asked the principal secretary to submit a report on the issue within seven days after a Congress member objected to the installation of Savarkar’s portrait in the Council picture gallery.

Women health workers take lead over men in Covid vaccination in UP
UPDATED ON JAN 18, 2021 12:52 PM IST
According to the data of the first round Covid vaccination compiled by the health and family welfare department, 71% healthcare workers got Covid vaccination.

Gujarat cadre IAS officer Arvind Kumar Sharma may be made minister in Yogi govt
By Rajesh Kumar Singh | Edited by Abhinav Sahay, Lucknow
PUBLISHED ON JAN 15, 2021 01:00 PM IST
- After the legislative council election, the UP Cabinet is likely to be expanded before the crucial 2022 Assembly election, said a BJP leader.

31,700 health workers to be vaccinated across Uttar Pradesh on Saturday
By Pankaj Jaiswal, Rajesh Kumar Singh and Gaurav Saigal
PUBLISHED ON JAN 15, 2021 10:41 AM IST
The state has so far received over one million vaccine doses against 1.1 million sought for the first phase

BSP chief Mayawati asks party workers to celebrate birthday by helping the poor
By Rajesh Kumar Singh | Edited by Sohini Sarkar
PUBLISHED ON JAN 14, 2021 04:48 PM IST
- The BSP used to celebrate the occasion in a grand manner when the party was in power in Uttar Pradesh. It began the practice of observing Jankalyankari Diwas after being voted out of power in the 2012 assembly elections.

Gujarat IAS officer's voluntary retirement creates buzz over role in UP politics
By Rajesh Kumar Singh | Edited by Abhinav Sahay, Lucknow
PUBLISHED ON JAN 14, 2021 02:35 PM IST
- The quick acceptance of his application for voluntary retirement has started a buzz in the BJP circles that Sharma may be sent to the Legislative Council in Uttar Pradesh.

Uttar Pradesh govt seeks 1.1 million Covid vaccine vials for first phase
PUBLISHED ON JAN 13, 2021 10:23 AM IST
Around 900,000 health workers will be vaccinated from January 16 at the 1,500 vaccination centres set up in all the 75 districts of the state

Lucknow gets first batch of 160,000 vials of Covid-19 vaccine
By Anupam Srivastava & Rajesh Kumar Singh
PUBLISHED ON JAN 13, 2021 09:23 AM IST
The state government had made storage arrangements for the vaccine storage at two hospitals in the city; around 51,000 health workers would be vaccinated in the first phase

UP 2022 Assembly polls: AIMIM’s bid to expand starts turf war with Peace party
By Rajesh Kumar Singh | Edited by Abhinav Sahay | Hindustan Times, Lucknow
UPDATED ON DEC 18, 2020 06:31 PM IST
AIMIM had fielded candidates on 38 seats in the 2017 Assembly election in Uttar Pradesh, however, it failed to open its account and polled just 0.24% votes.

Cold chain in 53 districts gives UP advantage in Covid-19 vaccination: Minister
By Rajesh Kumar Singh | Edited by Abhinav Sahay | Hindustan Times, Lucknow
UPDATED ON NOV 29, 2020 12:12 PM IST
UP’s health and family welfare department had been organising various vaccination programmes, including those for polio, Japanese encephalitis (JE) and routine immunisation round the year, says minister.

Covid-19: UP sero survey reveals 1 in 5 people developed antibodies
By Rajesh Kumar Singh | Hindustan Times, Lucknow
UPDATED ON NOV 27, 2020 01:18 PM IST
The districts from where samples were collected are Meerut, Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Kaushambi, Prayagraj, Moradabad, Ghaziabad, Baghpat and Agra

Mayawati names new UP BSP chief, signals strategy for 2022 polls
By Rajesh Kumar Singh | Edited by Abhinav Sahay | Hindustan Times, Lucknow
UPDATED ON NOV 15, 2020 07:22 PM IST
In a bid to reclaim its traditional support base, the BSP could be sending feelers to the backward community that they will get a prominent place in the organisation.

Uttar Pradesh: Biennial polls to 11 council seats on December 1
By Rajesh Kumar Singh | Hindustan Times, Lucknow
UPDATED ON NOV 03, 2020 10:38 AM IST
The elections were due this summer but had to be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic

Uttar Pradesh bypolls today, multi-corner contests to decide fate of 88 candidates
By Rajesh Kumar Singh | Hindustan Times, Lucknow
UPDATED ON NOV 03, 2020 12:09 AM IST
Polling will begin at 7 am and continue till 6 pm. The personnel on duty will be equipped with protective gear, thermal scanners, face shields, personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, gloves and sanitisers.

Mayawati begins work to regain lost ground in UP
UPDATED ON OCT 31, 2020 10:06 AM IST
BSP chief Mayawati has started preparations for the elections by revamping the party’s organisation. She has also started looking for new candidates and is collecting feedback about the performance of the party’s 18 lawmakers

Mayawati suspends 7 MLAs, says will back even BJP to defeat SP
By Rajesh Kumar Singh | Hindustan Times, Lucknow
PUBLISHED ON OCT 30, 2020 02:48 AM IST
The BSP would also move an application to get the seven rebel MLAs disqualified from the legislative assembly under the anti-defection law, Mayawati said.

Covid-19: Uttar Pradesh government prepares for vaccination drive
By Rajesh Kumar Singh | Hindustan Times, Lucknow
UPDATED ON OCT 29, 2020 09:30 AM IST
District health department officers have been told to make arrangement of cold chain in all the districts for storing the vaccine by December 15

BSP chief Mayawati asks Dalits to unite, win power
By Rajesh Kumar Singh | Hindustan Times, Lucknow
PUBLISHED ON OCT 09, 2020 04:31 PM IST
Mayawati accused Congress and BJP of conspiring against the BSP to stop it from coming to power and dividing Dalits

BSP revives 2007 Dalit-Brahmin formula, hopes to unseat Yogi in 2022 polls
By Rajesh Kumar Singh | Posted by Abhinav Sahay | Hindustan Times, Lucknow
UPDATED ON OCT 09, 2020 03:01 PM IST
BSP was credited with successful social engineering to forge a coalition of Brahmins and Dalits in 2007 assembly elections in UP.

Nominations for Uttar Pradesh by-polls to begin today
By Rajesh Kumar Singh | Hindustan Times, Lucknow
PUBLISHED ON OCT 09, 2020 09:25 AM IST
The papers will be scrutinised on October 17 while October 19 is the last date for the withdrawal of nominations

Hathras fallout: Yogi Adityanath smells ‘international’ plot to destabilise UP govt
By Rajesh Kumar Singh, Chandan Kumar and Hemendra Chaturvedi | Edited by Sparshita Saxena | Hindustan Times, Lucknow/Agra
UPDATED ON OCT 06, 2020 06:14 AM IST
Sedition charges invoked in one of 19 FIRs lodged in seven districts; probe to focus on website that hosted information about date, time and location of protests.

Hathras gangrape: Senior police officials suspended
By Rajesh Kumar Singh, Shiv Sunny and Hemendra Chaturvedi | Hindustan Times, New Delhi
UPDATED ON OCT 03, 2020 06:59 AM IST
The government, in an order on Friday evening, suspended Hathras superintendent of police Vikrant Vir, deputy superintendent of police Ram Shabd, police inspector in-charge Dinesh Kumar Verma, senior sub- inspector Jagveer Singh and head constable Mahesh Pal.

UP: BRD Medical College to start Covaxin phase-3 trial in mid-October
By Rajesh Kumar Singh | Hindustan Times, Lucknow
UPDATED ON SEP 29, 2020 09:38 AM IST
Phase three of drug trials involve efficacy and monitoring of adverse reactions. The college has constituted a three-member doctors’ team to prepare the standard operating procedure for the trials

Bhim Army launches PDA with regional parties to contest Bihar assembly polls
By Rajesh Kumar Singh | Hindustan Times, Luckow
PUBLISHED ON SEP 29, 2020 09:15 AM IST
Chandrashekhar Azad said the PDA will fight against the casteist and communal forces to provide a new alternative to the people of Bihar.

Migrants in UP pack their bags as former employers lay out red carpet for their return
By Rajesh Kumar Singh | Edited by Abhinav Sahay | Hindustan Times, Lucknow
UPDATED ON SEP 12, 2020 10:23 AM IST
Several migrants who had returned home are now being offered flight tickets and better wages to return.

Now, Uttar Pradesh set to launch 594-km Ganga Expressway
By Rajesh Kumar Singh | Hindustan Times, Lucknow
UPDATED ON AUG 31, 2020 04:23 PM IST
Yogi Adityanath had announced construction of Ganga expressway -- connecting Meerut with Prayagraj -- during Kumbh-2019. The project was pending for the last 15 years

Low testing and delay in results a concern in Uttar Pradesh
By Rajesh Kumar Singh and Jamie Mullick | Hindustan Times, Lucknow/ New Delhi
UPDATED ON AUG 22, 2020 08:58 AM IST
Delays in the delivery of test results amid an increase in the number of infections is adding to the anxiety of people of Uttar Pradesh.