As elections approach parties in UP shun criminal-politicians
Lucknow Sep 27 PTI With the Yogi Adityanath government taking credit for cracking down on criminals and making it an election issue political parties are now having a rethink on aligning with those who have a criminal background but also enjoy influence in their areasBJP leaders including the chief minister have been lately making claims on how the Uttar Pradesh government has improved the states law and order situation by crushing the mafia and even demolishing unauthorised buildings owned by themAdding heft to the state governments claims Defence Minister Rajnath Singh while speaking at a public meeting in Maharajganj last week had remarked that development requires good law and order and criminals start trembling even in their sleep when they hear the name of Chief Minister YogiIn a bid to distance herself from criminal elements BSP chief Mayawati recently declared that her party will not field its jailed party MLA from Mau Mukhtar Ansari again in the assembly elections due early next yearShe also tweeted that the BSP will not field bahubalis strongmen and mafia in the upcoming pollsFive-time MLA from Mau Mukhtar Ansari who was accused in several serious cases including the murder of MLA Krishnanand Rai of Ghazipurs Mohammadabad region in the year 2005 is currently lodged in Banda jailHowever smaller outfits like the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM are desperate to find their footing in the political scene of Uttar Pradesh and are not averse to wooing the the alleged criminals from bigger partiesThe AIMIM has offered Mukhtar Ansari the seat of his choice while Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party SBSP president Omprakash Rajbhar an old ally of the jailed legislator has come out in his supportBesides Mukhtar Ansari others who have continued to find their way to different houses with the support of political parties are Gyanpur Bhadohi MLA Vijay Mishra Sayedaraja Chandauli MLA Sushil Singh former Jaunpur MP Dhananjay Singh and Phulpur MP Atiq AhmedOn August 28 Sibagatullah Ansari the elder brother of Mukhtar Ansari and a two-time MLA from Ghazipurs Mohammadabad constituency left the Bahujan Samaj Party BSP for the Samajwadi Party SP triggering speculations that the Akhilesh Yadav-led party will use the Ansari brothers who have influence in eastern Uttar Pradesh to polarise Muslim votesWhen asked SP spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said The SP never gives tickets to criminals We believe in principle that criminalisation in politics is fatal for democracy SP will not give tickets to criminals Senior spokesperson of the BJP Harishchandra Srivastava told PTI Filing of a case is not a proof of a person being a criminal Lawsuits are sometimes filed due to political reasons but as far as BJP is concerned it has always been against criminalisation of politics In 2017 BJP gave the slogan of crime-free Uttar Pradesh When reminded that Ashok Singh Chandel got a BJP ticket from Hamirpur Srivastava said I cant say if something has happened as an exception but as a policy the party is always against giving political cloaks to criminals and even in 2022 this policy will be followed Accused of murder Chandel won from Hamirpur in the 2017 assembly election but was sentenced by the court and had to resign after being convictedSimilarly Kuldeep Singh Sengar who won from Bangermau in Unnao by contesting the election on a BJP ticket had to resign after being convicted of rapeMeanwhile Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu said The Congress party will not give tickets to those detained in serious criminal cases According to the Association for Democratic Reform ADR report 147 MLAs in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly have criminal cases registered against them These include 83 of the BJP 11 of the SP four of the BSP and one of the CongressAccording to ADR convenor Sanjay Singh in 2017 the BSP gave tickets to 38 per cent people with criminal cases registered against them followed by SP 37 per cent BJP 36 per cent and Congress 32 per cent PTI AR SAB RHL
Lucknow Sep 27 PTI With the Yogi Adityanath government taking credit for cracking down on criminals and making it an election issue political parties are now having a rethink on aligning with those who have a criminal background but also enjoy influence in their areasBJP leaders including the chief minister have been lately making claims on how the Uttar Pradesh government has improved the states law and order situation by crushing the mafia and even demolishing unauthorised buildings owned by themAdding heft to the state governments claims Defence Minister Rajnath Singh while speaking at a public meeting in Maharajganj last week had remarked that development requires good law and order and criminals start trembling even in their sleep when they hear the name of Chief Minister YogiIn a bid to distance herself from criminal elements BSP chief Mayawati recently declared that her party will not field its jailed party MLA from Mau Mukhtar Ansari again in the assembly elections due early next yearShe also tweeted that the BSP will not field bahubalis strongmen and mafia in the upcoming pollsFive-time MLA from Mau Mukhtar Ansari who was accused in several serious cases including the murder of MLA Krishnanand Rai of Ghazipurs Mohammadabad region in the year 2005 is currently lodged in Banda jailHowever smaller outfits like the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM are desperate to find their footing in the political scene of Uttar Pradesh and are not averse to wooing the the alleged criminals from bigger partiesThe AIMIM has offered Mukhtar Ansari the seat of his choice while Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party SBSP president Omprakash Rajbhar an old ally of the jailed legislator has come out in his supportBesides Mukhtar Ansari others who have continued to find their way to different houses with the support of political parties are Gyanpur Bhadohi MLA Vijay Mishra Sayedaraja Chandauli MLA Sushil Singh former Jaunpur MP Dhananjay Singh and Phulpur MP Atiq AhmedOn August 28 Sibagatullah Ansari the elder brother of Mukhtar Ansari and a two-time MLA from Ghazipurs Mohammadabad constituency left the Bahujan Samaj Party BSP for the Samajwadi Party SP triggering speculations that the Akhilesh Yadav-led party will use the Ansari brothers who have influence in eastern Uttar Pradesh to polarise Muslim votesWhen asked SP spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said The SP never gives tickets to criminals We believe in principle that criminalisation in politics is fatal for democracy SP will not give tickets to criminals Senior spokesperson of the BJP Harishchandra Srivastava told PTI Filing of a case is not a proof of a person being a criminal Lawsuits are sometimes filed due to political reasons but as far as BJP is concerned it has always been against criminalisation of politics In 2017 BJP gave the slogan of crime-free Uttar Pradesh When reminded that Ashok Singh Chandel got a BJP ticket from Hamirpur Srivastava said I cant say if something has happened as an exception but as a policy the party is always against giving political cloaks to criminals and even in 2022 this policy will be followed Accused of murder Chandel won from Hamirpur in the 2017 assembly election but was sentenced by the court and had to resign after being convictedSimilarly Kuldeep Singh Sengar who won from Bangermau in Unnao by contesting the election on a BJP ticket had to resign after being convicted of rapeMeanwhile Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu said The Congress party will not give tickets to those detained in serious criminal cases According to the Association for Democratic Reform ADR report 147 MLAs in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly have criminal cases registered against them These include 83 of the BJP 11 of the SP four of the BSP and one of the CongressAccording to ADR convenor Sanjay Singh in 2017 the BSP gave tickets to 38 per cent people with criminal cases registered against them followed by SP 37 per cent BJP 36 per cent and Congress 32 per cent PTI AR SAB RHL
