Mukhtar Ansari, a jailed mafia gangster, died on Thursday following a heart attack.
Life and Legacy of Mukhtar Ansari: From Crime to Politics
Born in Uttar Pradesh on June 30, 1963, and passing away on March 28, 2024, Mukhtar Ansari was a prominent figure in Indian politics and organized crime. He successfully negotiated the murky waters of politics and crime throughout his life, establishing a contentious legacy shaped by his electoral victories and convictions for crimes.
Also Read: Mukhtar Ansari, Mobster turned Politician passes away at 63 from Cardiac Arrest
Convicted Indian mobster and politician Mukhtar Ansari was from Uttar Pradesh. He was elected five times to the Legislative Assembly (MLA) representing the Mau constituency, twice as a candidate for the Bahujan Samaj Party.
His maternal grandfather, Mohammad Usman, was a brigadier in the Indian Army, and his paternal grandfather, Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari, was an early president of the Indian National Congress. He came from a well-known family.
Early in the 1990s, Ansari’s illegal activities came to light, mostly in the districts of Mau, Ghazipur, Varanasi, and Jaunpur. He got involved in politics in 1995, mostly through the Banaras Hindu University student union.
Breaking News: Following Mukhtar Ansari's death, a high alert has been issued in Uttar Pradesh, accompanied by the imposition of Section 144 in Banda, Mau, and Ghazipur. Heightened security measures are in place to maintain law and order amidst potential unrest. #MukhtarAnsari… pic.twitter.com/zkEDGMPXbk
— POWER CORRIDORS (@power_corridors) March 28, 2024
Rise to Power and Legal Troubles: Mukhtar Ansari’s Journey in Crime and Politics
Ansari became well-known in Poorvanchal’s organized criminal scene by the late 1990s, fighting violently with other gangs to gain control of profitable contract enterprises.
After a firefight in which his competitor Brijesh Singh was purportedly engaged, he emerged as the unquestioned leader of the Poorvanchal gang, which marked a turning point in his political career.
In 2007, Ansari and his brother Afzal joined the Bahujan Samaj Party, where BSP head Mayawati presented Ansari as a “messiah of the poor”.
While serving a prison sentence, he ran for parliament in 2009 from Varanasi on the BSP ticket; he was defeated by the BJP’s Murli Manohar Joshi.
Ansari was charged with the murders of contractor Ajay Prakash Singh in August 2009 and Kapil Dev Singh in April 2009, among other legal problems.
Expulsion from BSP, Formation of Quami Ekta Dal, and Political Maneuvers
The Ansari brothers’ continued engagement in illegal activity resulted in their expulsion from the BSP in 2010. Following a jail raid, it was discovered that Mukhtar Ansari was leading an opulent life in prison.
The Ansari brothers founded the Quami Ekta Dal, their own political organization, in 2010 following their expulsion from the BSP.
In order to prevent splitting secular votes, Mukhtar Ansari, who had declared his intention to run against Narendra Modi in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi, withdrew.
Prior to the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Legislative elections, on January 26, 2016, Ansari returned to the BSP. As a BSP candidate, he won the state elections from the Mau assembly seat.
