Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) MLA Abbas Ansari, son of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, has been disqualified from the Uttar Pradesh Assembly following his conviction in a hate speech case. Officials confirmed the disqualification on Sunday, a day after a special MP/MLA court in Mau sentenced him to two years of imprisonment. Abbas Ansari was elected from Mau in the 2022 assembly elections on an SBSP ticket. The party is part of the ruling NDA alliance in Uttar Pradesh, led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The case pertains to a provocative speech delivered by Abbas during the 2022 election campaign, which led to his conviction under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Representation of the People Act. Under current law, any legislator sentenced to two or more years of imprisonment stands disqualified from the legislature.
Reacting to the court order, SBSP chief and UP Cabinet Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar said the party will challenge the conviction in the High Court. “We will appeal against the verdict. Abbas Ansari will get justice,” Rajbhar told reporters.
With his disqualification, the Mau assembly seat is now vacant, setting the stage for a potential bypoll in the coming months.
So far, these MLAs have lost their Assembly membership in UP
Abbas Ansari is the sixth legislator to be disqualified in the 18th Uttar Pradesh Assembly. Before him, Azam Khan, Abdullah Azam, Irfan Solanki, Vikram Saini, and Ramdular Gond had already lost their Assembly membership.
