Akhilesh visit to Ansari house may unleash tough fight for Muslim support
Before the 2017 assembly elections, Akhilesh Yadav had opposed a move to merge the Quami Ekta Dal (QED) launched by Mukhtar Ansari in the Samajwadi Party.
Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav’s visit to gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari’s ancestral house in Mohammadabad town of Ghazipur district on Sunday (April 7) to condole his death is likely to set the pitch for the fight of Muslim votes in east Uttar Pradesh in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The visit of All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi (who has launched Pichchda, Dalit, Muslim (PDM) Nyay Morcha with Apna Dal (K) led by Krishna Patel) to Ansari’s residence on Monday has sparked a buzz among the Muslims over the initiative taken by AIMIM that is working to spread base among the Muslim community.
A large number of people assembled near Ansari’s residence, known as ‘Phatak’, at midnight to welcome Owaisi and to express solidarity with the Ansari family.
Blaming the state government for Mukhtar Ansari’s death, Owaisi said Ansari died in judicial custody and the state government was responsible for this. “In this difficult time, we stand with his family, supporters and loved ones. We will fight whoever is our opponent in Uttar Pradesh. AIMIM’s performance in the last civic elections was good and more than 100 councillors had won,” he said.
The Samajwadi Party rushed party leader and former Lok Sabha MP Dharmendra Yadav and Rajya Sabha MP Balram Yadav to Mohammadabad on Monday morning. Both the leaders offered flowers at the grave of Mukhtari Ansari at the Kalibagh graveyard and visited his residence to offer their condolences to the family.
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On Saturday morning, SP leader Ram Sudhakar Yadav installed a hoarding of Mukhtar Ansari near the party state unit office, urging people to not celebrate Eid and observe two minutes’ silence for Mukhtar Ansari. Later the local police removed the hoarding.
“The SP leaders want to encash the sympathy for Mukhtar Ansari among Muslims in the Lok Sabha elections”, said a BJP leader and added, “They are also trying to get the support of the local Muslim leaders. Former BSP MLA Shah Alam aka Guddu Jamali has already joined SP.”
Before the 2017 assembly elections, Akhilesh Yadav had opposed his uncle Shivpal Yadav’s move to merge the Quami Ekta Dal (QED) launched by Ansari in the Samajwadi Party. Aware that Ansari’s death will cast a shadow on the fortune of the political parties in the constituencies dominated by Muslims in the Lok Sabha election the SP strategist planned the visit of the party chief to his residence.
During the visit, Akhilesh will meet Mukhtar’s brothers Sibgatullah Ansari who is a former SP MLA, sitting BSP MP from Ghazipur Lok Sabha seat Afzal Ansari who is contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha election on SP ticket, Mukhtar’s nephew and SP’s Mohammadabad MLA Suhaib Ansari, son Omar Ansari and other members of the family.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the SP- BSP alliance had bagged Shravasti, Ambedkar Nagar, Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Ghazipur, Lalganj and Ghosi seats in east UP, working on the Muslim- OBC- dalit alliance. In the 2022 assembly elections, the SP won majority of the seats in Azamgarh, Mau, Ghazipur, Jaunpur and Ambedkar Nagar districts.
Mukhtar Ansari enjoyed hold over Muslim votes in Ghazipur, Mau, Azamgarh and Varanasi districts. Muslims account for 20% of the voters in the Lok Sabha seats in these districts and their voting behaviour is likely to define the outcome of the 2024 Lok Sabha election on these seats.
Though Mukhtar is dead, the domination of his family over Muslim voters in the region is likely to continue. His brother Afzal Ansari, who won the 2019 Lok Sabha elections on BSP ticket, is contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on Samajwadi Party (SP) ticket. Ansari’s son Abbas Ansari secured victory on Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) ticket from Mau assembly seat in 2022 assembly election while his nephew Suhaib Ansari is SP MLA from Mohammadabad seat.
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Aware of the influence of Ansaris in east UP, BSP chief Mayawati has already raised doubts over his death. Demanding a high level investigation, she said the Ansari family had expressed persistent apprehensions and levelled serious allegations about his death in jail.
Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Ajay Rai had also raised the demand of probe into the death of Mukhtar Ansari. Ansari . Interestingly Ansari was accused in the killing of Awadhesh Rai, brother of Ajay Rai.
The leaders of the smaller political parties who enjoy support among Muslims in some pockets of east and Central UP, including Rashtriya Ulama Council (RUC) and Peace Party have also visited Ansari’s residence to express condolences and have demanded probe into his death.