ANSARI & POLITICAL PARTIESAnsari, whose gang was active in Ghazipur, Mau, Azamgarh, Varanasi, Mirzapur and Jaunpur districts, joined the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in 1995.
“In 2018, his eldest son Umar was canvassing for his father, who was contesting the Phulpur Lok Sabha bypolls.
Ahmed used to issue diktats during polls and influence voters in several constituencies.
To retain the Allahabad West assembly seat, Ahmed fielded his younger brother, Khalid Azeem aka Ashraf, in the bypolls in November 2004.
In 2004, he won the Phulpur Lok Sabha seat on an SP ticket and served as an MP till 2009.
With no ‘farmans’ or diktats in the absence of Mukhtar Ansari and Atiq Ahmed, Ghazipur and Prayagraj – the two Bahubali-dominated Lok Sabha constituencies in eastern Uttar Pradesh – are set for, what UP Police officials call the first “uninfluenced" poll in 40 years. The state will vote across seven phases, starting April 19.
Old-timers and political pundits from the two districts recall how mafia-turned-politicians Ansari, who died on March 28, 2024, and Ahmed, who was killed along with his brother in Prayagraj on April 15, 2023, used to play an active role in deciding the fate of the candidates in fray.
GHAZIPUR: THE ANSARIS’ BASTION
June 1, the day the Ghazipur Lok Sabha constituency goes to polls in the seventh phase, will be the beginning of a new era for the constituency, the home town of Ansari, after three decades.
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Ansari wielded significant influence in Mau and Ghazipur districts for decades. Despite spending 18 years in jail, his sway over the Muslim community earned him electoral support from various political parties. The Mau Sadar assembly constituency remained a stronghold for Ansari and his family from 1996 to 2022. He won five consecutive terms (1996, 2002, 2007, 2012, 2017) from the seat, while his son, Abbas, currently in jail in a money laundering case, continued the legacy by winning the seat in 2022, showing their grip on the region.
Ansari’s brother Afzal represented the Mohammadabad assembly seat for five terms, before winning the Lok Sabha elections from Ghazipur in 2004 and 2019, defeating Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Manoj Sinha, the current Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. His other brother Sibgatullah also secured two assembly terms from Mohammadabad. Sibgatullah’s son, Suhaib Ansari, continued the family legacy, winning the Mohammadabad seat in 2022 under the Samajwadi Party (SP) banner.
ANSARI & POLITICAL PARTIES
Ansari, whose gang was active in Ghazipur, Mau, Azamgarh, Varanasi, Mirzapur and Jaunpur districts, joined the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in 1995. He contested the 1996 Lok Sabha election on a BSP ticket from Ghosi against veteran Congress leader Kalpnath Rai. Although he lost the Lok Sabha election, the BSP fielded him from Mau in the 1996 assembly election and he won from prison.
Ansari contested the 2002 legislative assembly election as an independent candidate from Mau, securing victory and retaining the seat independently in 2007. In 2009, Ansari and Afzal rejoined the BSP before the Lok Sabha election, with Ansari contesting from Varanasi against BJP’s Murli Manohar Joshi, emerging as the runner-up. In 2010, Mayawati expelled them from the BSP. Subsequently, Ansari formed the Quami Ekta Dal (QED), winning Mau and Mohammadabad seats in 2012. Despite a merger with the SP in 2016, annulled by Akhilesh Yadav, the QED aligned with the BSP in 2017. Mayawati fielded Ansari from Mau and Sibgatullah from Mohammadabad, with Ansari clinching victory from jail, highlighting the complex and enduring dynamics of Uttar Pradesh politics.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha Polls, the SP has fielded Afzal, however, the BJP and BSP are yet to announce their candidates from the Ghazipur Lok Sabha constituency.
PRAYAGRAJ, ATIQ’S WAR ROOM & POLITICAL RIVALRY
Painted in yellow, a grand, partially demolished mansion stands along the main road in Chakiya, the locality Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Azeem alias ‘Ashraf’ hailed from. Not very far are the office of the mafia brothers who were killed by three assailants in police custody in Prayagraj and the rubble of what used to the house of Ahmed.
“Until 2019, the two places used to be abuzz with activities during the political season. Long queues of SUVs of politicians outside Atiq bhaiya’s karyalaya (office) used to be a common sight. Those who were a little close to him used to visit the house," said Pankaj Chaurasia, a pan seller in Chakiya.
“In 2018, his eldest son Umar was canvassing for his father, who was contesting the Phulpur Lok Sabha bypolls. The office was used as a war room by Atiq and his sons," Chaurasia recollected.
Some locals said that other than the party candidates, political bigwigs, too, used to visit his office to gain patronage. Ahmed used to issue diktats during polls and influence voters in several constituencies.
Some locals said that they used to cast votes only after the ‘farmaan’ from sansad ji’s (as the locals called Ahmed) karyalaya.
Brij Lal, a retired IPS officer and a former Director General of Police (DGP), UP, said Ahmed had great political aspirations. “And he didn’t want anyone to play spoilsport. If anyone came in his way, he would go to any extent to settle a score. There are many examples of his political rivalry," said Lal.
The former DGP also cited several incidents of his political rivalry, which instilled fear not only in Prayagraj, but also the neighboring constituencies.
“Ahmed led a massive gang war against his mentor, Shauq Ilahi aka Chand Baba, on November 6, 1989, killing Baba. Ahmed then became the MLA for the first time. He won the seat twice, in 1991 and 1993, as an independent, before joining the SP. In 1996, Ahmed again won the seat on an SP ticket," the ex-cop said.
“In 2002, a fatal attack was planned against then BSP candidate Javed Iqbal, in which Ahmed’s gunner was killed in Kareli. After the incident, Iqbal withdrew his nomination from the 2002 state assembly elections and later even withdrew the First Information Report (FIR) against Ahmed," he added.
To retain the Allahabad West assembly seat, Ahmed fielded his younger brother, Khalid Azeem aka Ashraf, in the bypolls in November 2004. However, Ahmed suffered a setback, when his henchman and history-sheeter Raju Pal won the seat on a BSP ticket. Ahmed saw this as a challenge to his authority in the region. In January 2005, Ahmed and his men killed Pal in full public view in Prayagraj. The same year, Ashraf won the bypolls.
“BSP MLA Raju Pal was murdered while returning to his Dhumanganj home from the SRN Hospital. His convoy was attacked, as it reached Sulemsarai on GT Road. A dozen armed assailants rained bullets on Pal and his men. The prolonged firing created panic in the area. Pal died of multiple gunshot wounds," said Lal.
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Ahmed and Ashraf were arrested for the conspiracy, but were released on bail when the SP came to power in the state. Ahmed’s political career waned after 2007, when he was expelled from the SP for protecting those alleged to be involved in the rape of madrassa students. Later, he contested polls from many places, but did not win.
He contested 11 elections, of which he won six. In 1989, Ahmed was first elected as the MLA from Allahabad West assembly seat as an independent. He won five consecutive terms between 1989 and 2004 from the seat. In 2004, he won the Phulpur Lok Sabha seat on an SP ticket and served as an MP till 2009.
With Ahmed and Ashraf now dead, his wife on the run and their eldest sons in jail, the political future of his family is in doubt. However, locals from Allahabad West constituency believe that there are chances that some candidates may use his name to get sympathy votes.
