The Lok Sabha elections 2024 saw a close fight between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the INDIA bloc in Uttar Pradesh, with the opposition ultimately winning 43 of the 81 seats. However, the outcome could change as at least six recently-elected Members of Parliament (MP) representing INDIA bloc from Uttar Pradesh face multiple criminal charges that could even lead to conviction.
The most prominent among them is Ghazipur MP Afzal Ansari, who is the elder brother of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari. Afzal won the election as an SP candidate.
Also Read: First-hand account: A visit to ‘Phatak’, Mukhtar Ansari’s family home in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur
Afzal Ansari has already been sentenced to four years in jail in a gangster act case. His conviction was stayed by the Allahabad High Court which allowed him to contest elections. However, the case will be heard when the court opens in July. If the court upholds his sentence, he will lose his membership of parliament.
Remember, Ansari was disqualified from Lok Sabha in his previous term after conviction in a murder case. He had won 2019 elections from Ghazipur as a BSP candidate.
An MP is disqualified if convicted in a case with an imprisonment of more than two years.
Azamgarh MP and Samajwadi Party leader Dharmendra Yadav has four criminal cases pending against him and will lose his membership if he is convicted for more than two years. Similarly, Jaunpur MP Babu Singh Kushwaha has 25 cases against him related to the NRHM scam, which took place when Mayawati was the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.
Rambhual Nishad, who won the Sultanpur seat by defeating BJP’s Maneka Gandhi, is an accused in eight cases, including one registered under the Gangsters Act. Similarly, Chandauli MP Virendra Singh and Saharanpur MP Imran Masood have also been booked in multiple cases.
Cases against these INDIA block MPs including some related to money laundering, intimidation and various sections of the Gangsters Act, which can lead to an imprisonment of more than two years.
In the past, many MPs have lost their membership after being convicted in criminal cases. Mohammad Azam Khan, Khaboo Tiwari, Vikram Saini and Ashok Chandel are among these political leaders.
The seven-phase Lok Sabha Elections 2024 were held from April 19 to June 1. The results were announced on June 4. The BJP-led NDA won 294 seats while the INDIA bloc has won 237 seats with the help of three independents.
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Published: 12 Jun 2024, 03:53 PM IST
