Key Points
The death of gangster-turned politician Mukhtar Ansari, a five-time former MLA, on Thursday triggered a race among Opposition parties to express anguish over his demise and sympathise with his family.I)..
The leaders of various non-BJP parties took to social media platforms raising doubt over his death and demanded a high-level probe..
Behind this expression of affinity with a dreaded Mafioso who was accused in over 63 criminal cases and had established a reign of terror in east UP was Mukhtar Ansaris hold on Muslim votes in Ghazipur, Mau, Azamgarh and Varanasi districts..
Allegations and counter-allegation between the ruling BJP and opposition parties, including the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) over his death, has already set the tone for a fight for Muslim votes in Lok Sabha constituencies in east UP, where polling will be held in the sixth and seventh phases..
BSP chief Mayawati, in a post on X, said the persistent apprehensions and serious allegations made by Mukhtar Ansaris family regarding his death in jail require a high-level investigation so that the true facts can be revealed..
