The decades-long political career of Mukhtar Ansari, a five-time MLA from Mau, is on a rapid decline after his recent convictions.
The former lawmaker, who represented Mau consistently from 1997 to 2022, and his family found themselves in the centre of the eastern Uttar Pradesh politics.
His brother, Afzal Ansari, represented the Mohammadabad assembly seat in Ghazipur for five terms. Afzal also went on to win the Lok Sabha elections from Ghazipur in 2004 and 2019 by defeating BJP’s Manoj Sinha, the current lieutenant-governor of Jammu-Kashmir. His another brother, Sibgatullah, also won the assembly election twice, in 2007 and 2012, from the Mohammadabad seat.
In the 2022 state elections, Mukhtar passed the baton to his son Abbas, who won the Mau seat, while Suhaib Anasri, Sibgatullah’s son, won his home turf Mohammadabad on SP ticket.
Recently, the Ansaris suffered a setback as Afzal was disqualified as an MP on May 1 after a special MP/MLA court convicted and sentenced him to a four-year jail term for the murder of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai in November 2005 and also the kidnapping and murder of Varanasi-based trader Nand Kishore Rungta in 1997.
Meanwhile, Abbas is lodged in the Kasganj jail in connection with a money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, Abbas is lodged in the Kasganj jail in connection with a money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate.
{{/usCountry}}Involved in criminal activities since the early 90s, Mukhtar made a name as a dreaded gangster from East U.P. as his gang was active in Ghazipur, Mau, Azamgarh, Varanasi, Mirzapur and Jaunpur districts.
In 1995, Mukhtar joined the BSP, and unsuccessfully contested the 1996 Lok Sabha elections from Ghosi against veteran Congress leader Kalpnath Rai. Though he lost the election, the BSP fielded him from Mau assembly seat the same year. Ansari secured a victory from prison.
That year, the BSP formed its government with the support of the BJP. His visit to the DGP office while being taken to a court from a district jail embarrassed the state government. Under pressure from its ally, the BSP expelled him from the party.
Later, Ansari contested the 2002 legislative assembly election as an independent candidate from Mau and secured a victory. Again, in 2007, he contested assembly election as an independent candidate from Mau and emerged victorious.
Before the Lok Sabha 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Mukhtar rejoined the BSP along with his brother Afzal. He contested from the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat against BJP candidate Murli Manohar Joshi but lost. His second innings in the BSP lasted for a year before party chief Mayawati expelled him and his brother on April 10, 2010.
Thereafter, he launched the Quami Ekta Dal (QED) and bagged Mau and Mohammadabad in the 2012 assembly elections. Before the next state elections in 2017, the QED merged with the Samajwadi Party but the merger was later annulled by Akhilesh Yadav.
In January 2017, the QED merged with the BSP after which Mayawati fielded Mukhtar, who was lodged in a jail, from Mau and elder brother Sibgatullah from Mohammadabad in Ghazipur district. Though behind bars, Mukhtar again managed to win the seat. His brother Afzal also secured a victory in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections on a BSP ticket.
Before the 2022 assembly elections, Mayawati announced that her party would not field ‘bahubalis’ (strongmen) or gangsters. Ending her ties with Mukhtar, she said the jailed gangster-politician would not be given the ticket from Mau.