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UP election: Court orders on Mukhtar, Amanmani may impact poll equations in Purvanchal
The Delhi high court set aside the parole granted to Mukhtar by the trial court. Similarly, Allahabad high court rejected the parole application of Amanmani on Monday.
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Court orders on gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari and Amanmani Tripathi, son of jailed former minister Amarmani Tripathi, are likely to make an impact on the Uttar Pradesh assembly election in part of the Purvanchal region where voting will be held in the sixth phase on March 4.
The Delhi high court set aside the parole granted to Mukhtar by the trial court. Similarly, Allahabad high court rejected the parole application of Amanmani on Monday.
Riding piggyback on Ansari, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) was planning to mobilise Muslim voters in the east UP.
After the Quami Ekta Dal (QED) merged with it, the BSP fielded Mukhtar from Mau assembly constituency, his brother Sibgatulla Ansari, a sitting MLA, from Mohammadabad seat in Ghazipur district and his son Abbas from Ghosi.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Amit Shah was quick to comment on the alliance at a rally in Ballia.
“Mayawati said she will end goonda raj in UP but her posters with Mukhtar show that she requires the support of criminal elements to capture power,” he said.
BSP leaders hoped that Mukhtar’s campaigning in the region will tilt the Muslim votes in its favour in the crucial sixth phase. The party also planned to counter the Samajwadi Party (SP)-Congress alliance that is working on the backward-Muslim formula to regain power.
The BSP is hoping to make inroads into the SP’s Muslim vote bank with QED support. The QED has influence in pockets of east UP, particularly the districts that have a substantial Muslim population: Mau, Azamgarh, Varanasi and Ballia.
The SP won a majority of seats in these districts in the 2012 assembly election.
The QED merged with the SP initially but after chief minister Akhilesh Yadav became Samajwadi Party national president, he rejected the alliance.
Terming Akhilesh anti-Muslim, Afzal Ansari, Mukhtar’s brother and QED national president, said: “We will teach the SP a lesson in the assembly election.”
The BSP hopes to cash in on the anger among Muslims during the poll.
As for Amanmani, he is contesting as an independent candidate from Nautanwa assembly seat in Maharajganj. The SP initially named Amanmani as its candidate from Nautanwa but later the ticket was given to sitting Congress MLA Kaushal Singh alias Munna Singh.
The rivalry between Amarmani and Munna is well-known in the region. Amanmani, an accused in the murder of his wife Sara, is in jail. The rejection of his parole application has upset his plan to campaign in the area.
The SP has already expelled his family members from the party. With Amanmani behind bars, the contest is likely among SP, BJP and BSP candidates.
