New Delhi: Noida is being jocularly described as a ‘Nepo City’ in political circles, as Uttar Pradesh’s top industrial hub is administered and run by those from powerful families.
At the administrative level, District Magistrate Medha Roopam, a 2014-batch IAS officer, is the daughter of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Police Commissioner Laxmi Singh is married to BJP MLA and former Enforcement Directorate officer Rajeshwar Singh and is also related to UP Director General of Police Rajeev Krishna. Singh is Krishna’s brother-in-law.
On the political side, Noida MLA Pankaj Singh is the son of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
The epithet of ‘Nepo City’ got into circulation in political circles after the tragic death of a 27-year-old software engineer, Yuvraj Mehta, after his car fell into an unguarded water-filled pit near Sector 150 in Greater Noida this January. He didn’t know how to swim and cried for help from the roof of his car for two hours before drowning. Rescue efforts were seen as insufficient and ineffective.
The tragedy was a result of negligence at various levels that would have otherwise seen many heads rolling. But nothing happened. No accountability was fixed on any top officers. The grapevine has it that the name ‘Nepo City’ came from within BJP circles in Noida as party leaders faced flak for the horrendous administrative lapses.
IndiaAI Mission CEO shunted
The corridors of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology have been buzzing rather uncomfortably since 31 March, when the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet moved Additional Secretary Abhishek Singh—TIME AI 100 honouree, IIT Kanpur-Harvard man, the face of India’s Rs 10,000 crore AI ambition—out of the IndiaAI Mission, packing him off to the National Testing Agency (NTA). He was the Mission’s CEO.
The transfer came barely six weeks after the India AI Impact Summit wrapped up at Bharat Mandapam. Those exchanging notes inside the ministry aren’t buying the routine reshuffle line.
The top theory doing the rounds: the Galgotias University fiasco. A Chinese robodog presented as indigenous innovation, AI wearables going missing inside a high-security zone, UPI failing at a tech summit, exhibitors locked out before the PM’s visit—the optics were, to put it diplomatically, sub-optimal.
PM Narendra Modi was apparently pleased with the turnout and global star power at the summit. The event management, less so. Singh himself publicly called out Galgotias on Day 3—”they misled, the whole world is here”— but that sword, insiders note, ultimately cuts both ways.
The man accountable for the show cannot entirely escape the show. The NTA, currently under its own cloud of examination controversies, is now Singh’s inheritance. Lateral thinking, or a lateral demotion? South Block, characteristically, wouldn’t say.
An assembly seat for A.K. Sharma
Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister and former civil servant A.K. Sharma has been increasingly spending time in his home district, Mau, a move that has become a talking point in political circles. The reasons appear to be political.
According to BJP sources, Sharma is exploring the possibility of contesting the 2027 assembly elections from his home turf.
A Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) since 2021, Sharma’s tenure is set to end next year. For his political continuity, he is now looking for a safe seat. However, Mau has traditionally not been a BJP stronghold.
Of the four assembly constituencies in the district, one is reserved. Among the remaining three, two are held by the Samajwadi Party and one by the BJP. Party insiders suggest that if Sharma sets his sights on Mau, the contest could be particularly difficult as it has long been dominated by the Ansari family.
At present, Abbas Ansari, son of the late Mukhtar Ansari, represents the seat, with the family maintaining a stronghold over it for nearly three decades.
This leaves the district’s Ghosi seat as the only potential opening. The seat fell vacant following the demise of SP MLA Sudhakar Singh last November, and a bypoll is expected soon. Beyond this, options within the district appear limited.
A BJP functionary noted that Sharma may have to consider constituencies in neighbouring districts, as most seats in his native belt present significant electoral challenges. Sources close to the minister also indicate that while he is keen on contesting the assembly election, finding a safe seat remains a key hurdle.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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