Mukhtar Ansari's Death Impacts Ghazipur and Regional Politics

For the first time since the '90s, Ghazipur will witness an election devoid of Mafia Don Mukhtar Ansari’s influence, raising questions on the extent and nature of his legacy.
Mukhtar Ansari's Absence Could Affect His Brothers’ Political Fortunes (File Photo)

Source: aajtak

Mukhtar Ansari faced eight murder charges while incarcerated, and still won his last three elections from behind bars - in 2007, 2012, and 2017's assembly polls.

Ansari served as a legislator for Mau five times, twice on tickets from Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). It was also as a BSP candidate that he first tasted victory.

During the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, Ansari promoted his son Abbas to take his place, backed by the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party leader Om Prakash Rajbhar, who was then allied with the Samajwadi Party, though Akhilesh Yadav tried to distance himself from Ansari.

Political responses to Ansari's death behind bars have been cautious. No direct questions have been raised, with leaders mainly echoing the allegations made by Ansari's family.

The circumspect reactions from opposition in UP hint at concerns over the upcoming elections' outcomes, with Mayawati exercising more caution compared to Akhilesh Yadav.

Politicians react to Ansari's death

BSP leader Mayawati commented on social site X regarding Ansari's jail death, 'The continuous suspicions and serious allegations made by his family necessitate a high-level investigation to unearth the truth... Their sorrow is natural... may nature give them the strength to endure their grief.'

Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav squarely blamed the Yogi Adityanath government for the jail death, calling for a judicial inquiry on his X post, stating that protection of life is a government's fundamental duty at all times and places.

Ansari had accused a slow poisoning behind bars. Politicians like Asaduddin Owaisi and Tejashwi Yadav echoed the allegation, directing questions at the UP BJP government.

While preparing for Lok Sabha elections in 2009 as Chief Minister, Mayawati termed Ansari a 'messiah for the poor', later reversing her stance, acknowledging his criminal activities, and cutting ties with him. Despite his expulsion, in 2016 Ansari made an unsuccessful bid to join the Samajwadi Party, blocked by Akhilesh Yadav.

Before the 2017 assembly elections, Mayawati reconciled with Ansari, suggesting a chance for him to reform, aiming to consolidate Dalit and Muslim votes. In a strategic move, Ansari merged his Quami Ekta Dal into the BSP, but by 2022, Mayawati resolved to not give tickets to any criminals, effectively sidelining Ansari.

Impact on 2024 Lok Sabha Elections?

Ansari's influence historically felt across the Ghazipur seats is now tested, with his direct confrontations with BJP noted. As a BSP candidate, he gave a tough fight in the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat, narrowly losing by less than 20,000 votes, creating many memorable electoral narratives.

In 2019, Ansari's brother Afzal upset BJP's Manoj Sinha, and with Samajwadi Party backing, Afzal pledged to use his ancestral land to fund his campaigns, confident that neither Modi's influence nor economic disparities would sway the support from the 'poor masses'.

The Ghazipur Lok Sabha region is mostly controlled by the Samajwadi Party, and though it now contests elections independently from the BSP, with Om Prakash Rajbhar returning to BJP's NDA fold, BJP might capitalize on these dynamics unless divisive polarization occurs.

Prime Minister Modi, referencing 'Baahubali and Katappa' during a rally, highlighted the law's strength over muscle power, which foreshadowed an electoral showdown. The disappearance of 'Baahubali' Mukhtar Ansari, and Om Prakash Rajbhar's shift back to NDA could be a strategic advantage for BJP, provided there is no subsequent polarization.

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