List of tainted politicians in UP getting longer: Reports

According to the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), 44 out of 80 MPs from Uttar Pradesh had criminal cases against them.

Lucknow: A singer from Jaitpura area in Varanasi has accused Gyanpur MLA and muscleman Vijay Mishra, his son and nephew of gang-raping her and got a case registered against them at Gopiganj Police Station on October 18, 2020.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Rambadan Singh informed the media about the case. When this report was being filed, MLA Vijay Mishra was lodged in Agra jail. There are around 17 cases registered against him at different police stations.

Vijay Mishra is not the only MLA or politician against whom criminal cases are registered. There is a long list of tainted and defamed politicians in Uttar Pradesh. There is no political party in Uttar Pradesh which does not have tainted politicians in its kitty. There are 143 MLAs in the state against whom criminal cases under various sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) are registered at different police stations. Out of these MLAs, there are charges of murder, attempt to murder, eve-teasing, and forgery and so on against 101 MLAs.

tainted and defamed politicians in Uttar Pradesh

143 MLAs have criminal cases against them under different sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC)

There are 101 such MLAs against whom are charges of murder, attempt to murder, eve-teasing and forgery.

The BJP won the maximum number of Lok Sabha seats in the State in 2019 Parliamentary polls. According to the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), 44 out of 80 MPs of UP had criminal cases against them. That means 56 per cent of Uttar Pradesh had criminal records. Of the total 30 MLAs of the BSP, five are tainted, while two out of five SP MPs are having trials against criminal cases. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, only Sonia Gandhi won the Rae Bareli seat from the Congress. According to an affidavit, she also has a criminal case registered against her.

The list of MLAs with a criminal background is quite long in Uttar Pradesh. Many musclemen including Mukhtar Ansari, Brajesh Singh, Raja Bhaiya, Sushil Singh, and Vijay Mishra, are currently MLAs. Ten cases have been registered against BSP MLA Aslam Ali of Dhaulana. There are serious allegations against these MLAs.

VIJAY MISHRA, INDEPENDENT MLA

Vijay Mishra has a number of serious criminal charges against him, in all 16. These are about 16 cases registered against him under various section of Indian Penal Code (IPC). Some of them are of murder, loot, forgery, and attempt to murder and so on. Only recently a singer has accused him and his kin of gang rape. He is currently in jail in connection with a land grabbing and intimidation case.

AZAM KHAN, SP LEADER

There are 78 cases registered against him. In connection with an alleged land grabbing of farmers for Maulana Jauhar Ali University, there are 28 cases registered against him. Nine cases have been registered with regard to the theft of buffaloes and many others including theft of rare trees, enmity.

MUKHTAR ANSARI, SP, MLA

For the past 15 years, Mukhtar has been in jail. There are 16 cases pending against him in the court. In 2005, he was accused of inciting violence in Mau in 2005. He is charged with killing BJP leader Krishnanand Rai along with his seven friends. In July 2019, the Special CBI acquitted him in this case.
BJP MP SAKSHI MAHARAJ

Sakshi Maharaj is BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh. He has 34 cases registered against him. As per the affidavit filed by him in the Lok Sabha election, there is a case of alleged gang rape against him and his kin, which was filed by a college principal. In this case, Sakshi Maharaj had to spend a month in the Tihar Jail as well.

RAGHURAJ PRATAP SINGH ALIAS RAJA BHAIYA

In all, there are 47 criminal cases registered against him. He was even once arrested under the POTA. The criminal charges against him range from murder, loot, attempt to murder, violence and forgery and so on. He has got relief from the court in some cases.

FORMER MP DHANANJAY SINGH

The criminal cases have piled up against Dhananjay Singh over the years. A former BSP MP, Singh had 12 cases against him till 1998. Till July this year, the number of criminal cases against him has gone up to 2038. He has been acquitted in 24 cases.

BJP LEADER KULDEEP SINGH SENGAR

BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar is currently jailed in connection with rape and kidnapping of a girl. Sengar raped her when she approached him for a job in 2017 in Unnao. The case was handed over to the CBI in 2018. He was arrested on April 14, 2018. The case was registered against him under various sections of the Indian Penal Code including 363, 366, 376 and 506. He is also accused of conspiring a deadly attack on the victim and her uncle on July 28, 2019. They were on way to the court in a car along with their advocate. A truck hit their car in which her uncle died, while others were seriously injured. A case was registered against Sengar in this connection. Sengar got lifer in the case from the court on December 20, 2019.

The party position in the UP Assembly has slightly changed since the by-elections in 2017. At present, the BJP has 307 MLAs, SP 48, BSP 18, Congress 7, and Apna Dal-Sone Lal 9 in the assembly of 403 members.

Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party has four MLAs, RLD and Apna Dal one each. There are three independent MLAs. The by-elections for seven seats are yet to be held. After the results, the figures of MLAs having criminal background will also change. Once the results of by-polls are out, there will also be a change in the number of tainted MLAs each party has in the State Assembly.