Mau: Uttar Pradesh MLA Mukhtar Ansari, representing the Mau Sadar constituency and currently lodged in Banda jail in the state, was cleared by Mau's MP-MLA court on Thursday to participate in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. Following the order, Ansari's lawyer has bought the nomination papers from the Mau seat.
Ansari, currently lodged in the Banda jail, is set to contest elections from the seat for the sixth time on a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidature.
Ansari first contested and won the elections back in 1996 on a BSP ticket. After this, he independently won the seat in 2002 and 2007 polls. In 2012, Qaumi Ekta, his own party, emerged victorious from Mau Sadar and was subsequently merged with BSP. During the 2017 elections, he won the seat for the fifth time.
Ansari, with a criminal track record, has found takers among the Muslim demographic in Eastern UP, including those of several districts around Mau. His brother Sibgatullah Ansari, however, has joined the Samajwadi Party.
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