Though former UP minister Amarmani Tripathi has been in jail for the past seven years, his son Amanmani Tripathi (29), who is contesting the poll on an SP ticket, believes in "carrying forward his father's legacy".
And he is confident because his father represented the Nautanwa assembly seat - where is contesting - four times. Amarmani contested the 2007 assembly election from behind bars on an SP ticket and comfortably won. He was later convicted in the Madhumita Shukla murder case.
How is Amanmani going to take the legacy forward? He is moving from one village to another, telling people that his father was not a killer but 'vikas purush' (development people). "The villages in Nautanwa have link roads. My father opened colleges - degree, intermediate and homoeopathy - and ensured farmers got fertilisers and seeds during the sowing season. Nautanwa town has turned out to be the main centre for business in Maharajganj district," he said.
"Both my father and mother are in jail due to a conspiracy hatched by the opponents; my victory will pave the way for their release, else I would be forced to lead the life of an orphan."
{{/usCountry}}"Both my father and mother are in jail due to a conspiracy hatched by the opponents; my victory will pave the way for their release, else I would be forced to lead the life of an orphan."
{{/usCountry}}A graduate in political science from DDU Gorakhpur University, Amanmani said: "I am the youngest among all the candidates contesting here."
Amarmani reportedly runs an effective network from jail and has an office on the main market road. "All the works concerned with common people are being disposed of just the way they were during Amarmani's time," said Ram Singh, his office-in-charge.