Mafia-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, with his son Abbas and brothers Afzal Ansari and Sibghatullah Ansari, has joined the Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) to contest from Mau Sadar ahead of the UP assembly elections. BSP supremo Mayawati has reportedly stated that the party has re-inducted Ansari keeping in view the allegations levelled against him have not yet been proven.
Abbas is understood to be contesting from Ghosi while Ansari’s brother Sibghatullah is believed to fight from Mohammadabad.
Ansari, who heads the Qaumi Ekta Dal, is presently in Lucknow jail and is understood to have defected to the BSP after the Samajwadi Party (SP) denied ticket to him and his brothers.
Ansari had commenced his major political victory on a BSP ticket in 1996 and had won two more times as an independent. He later re-joined the BSP in 2006.
Later, he formed his own party “Qaumi Ekta Dal” after being expelled from the BSP when he unsuccessfully fought the Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi in 2009.
Last year, Mukhtar’s party had merged with the SP, much to the disapproval of Akhilesh Yadav. Shivpal Yadav—his warring uncle—had promised a party ticket to Sibghatullah from Mohammadabad in Ghazipur district despite Akhilesh’s opposition. This was a bone of contention between the UP chief minister and his uncle.
However, post Akhilesh Yadav took over SP, Ansari’s name did not figure in the list released by the SP following which he is believed to have defected to the rival BSP camp.
Earlier, Ansari’s party had merged with the Samajwadi Party much to the disapproval of Akhilesh Yadav
Shivpal Yadav is believed to have promised tickets to the Ansaris which eventually did not materialise in the final SP list