E-Paper
Impact of mafia -politician Mukhtar Ansari who dominated Mau-Ghazipur likely to continue after death
Though he remained behind bars for the last 18 years, many parties vied for Mukhtar Ansari’s electoral support due to his influence on the Muslim community in the region.
Prefer HTon Google
Gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari dominated the politics of Mau and Ghazipur districts in eastern Uttar Pradesh for decades, winning assembly elections with big margins. And it remains to be seen what impact his death will have on the politics of the region in the 2024 Lok Sabha election in which his brother Afzal Ansari is the Samajwadi Party candidate from Ghazipur.
Though he remained behind bars for the last 18 years, many parties vied for Mukhtar Ansari’s electoral support due to his influence on the Muslim community in the region.
The Mau Sadar assembly seat remained an invincible fort of Mukhtar and his family from 1996 to 2022. Mukhtari himself seat won the seat for five consecutive terms (1996, 2002, 2007, 2012 and 2017). His son Abbas Ansari, currently in jail in a money-laundering case, won the seat in the 2022.
Mukhtar Ansari belonged to a family of freedom fighters.
His grandfather Dr Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari was president of the Congress in 1926-27. His father Subhan Ullah Ansari was a leader of the Communist party. His uncle Hamid Ansari was Vice- President of India.
Mukhtar Ansari completed his education from Ghazipur PG college and also tried his luck in students’ union politics. During this phase, Mukhtar came in contact with a gang leader and allegedly became its member.
Due to Mukhtar’s dominance in the area, other gangster-turned-politicians like Brajesh Singh, Hari Shankar Tiwari and Dhananjay Singh did not interfere in the politics of Azamgarh, Mau and Ghazipur. He also ensured the victory of his family members with ease.
Mukhtar Ansari had challenged the might of veteran Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) leader Murli Manohar Joshi and Congress leader Kalpnath Rai in the Lok Sabha elections.
His brother Afzal Ansari represented Mohammadabad assembly seat in Ghazipur district for five terms. Later, Afzal won the Lok Sabha election from Ghazipur in 2004 and 2019, in the second instance defeating BJP candidate Manoj Sinha who is lieutenant governor of Jammu and Kashmir. The third brother Sibgatullah Ansari too won the assembly election twice in 2007 and 2012 from Mohammadabad. Sibgatullah’s son Suhaib Ansari won on the SP ticket from Mohammadabad in 2022.
Mukhtar Ansari, whose gang was active in Ghazipur, Mau, Azamgarh, Varanasi, Mirzapur and Jaunpur districts, joined the Bahujan Samaj Party in 1995. He contested the 1996 Lok Sabha election on the BSP ticket from Ghosi against veteran Congress leader Kalpnath Rai. Though he lost the Lok Sabha election, the BSP fielded him from Mau in the 1996 assembly election and he won from prison.
After the BSP formed the government in Uttar Pradesh with the BJP’s support, his visit to the DGP office while being taken to court from the district jail embarrassed the state government. Under pressure of its ally, the BSP expelled him from the party.
Later, Ansari contested the 2002 legislative assembly election as an independent candidate from Mau and won, retaining the seat in 2007 as an independent, in 2012 as a Quami Ekta Dal candidate and in 2017 as the BSP nominee.
Before the 2009 Lok Sabha election, Mukhtar again joined the BSP along with his brother Afzal. He contested from the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat against BJP candidate Murli Manohar Joshi and emerged runner-up. But on April 10, 2010, Mayawati expelled Mukhtar and his brother Afzal from the BSP.
He then launched the Quami Ekta Dal (QED) which won the Mau and Mohammadabad seats in the 2012 assembly election. The QED merged with the Samajwadi Party in 2016 but SP chief Akhilesh Yadav annulled the merger. In January 2017, QED merged with BSP. Mayawati fielded Mukhtar, who was lodged in jail, from Mau and elder brother Sibgatullah from Mohammadabad. Mukhtar won the seat.
