Who Was Mukhtar Ansari? All About The Don Who Once Ruled Purvanchal And His Downfall Under Yogi Regime

Mukhtar Ansari death: The 60-year-old gangster-turned-politician served as a five-time MLA from Mau Sadar constituency, and had remained behind the bars in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab since 2005.

New Delhi: Gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari died after suffering a cardiac arrest Thursday evening. He had been taken to Banda Medical College his health deteriorated from In Banda District Jail where he was lodged. Earlier, Ansari had been hospitalised on Tuesday due to an abdominal pain. However, he was discharged the same day after his condition stabilised. His brother, Afzal Ansari, had alleged that Mukhtar had been poisoned in jail.

Who Was Mukhtar Ansari?

Ansari, 60, served as a five-time MLA from the Mau Sadar constituency and had been spending time behind the bars in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab jails since 2005. He faced over 60 criminal cases and had been convicted in eight cases since September 2022 by various UP courts.

Cases Against Ansari

Ansari's name featured on the list of 66 notorious gangsters issued by the Uttar Pradesh Police last year. Throughout his life, he had become synonymous with terror not just in Purvanchal but across the state.

With a litany of charges against him, including murder, attempted murder, armed riots, criminal conspiracy, intimidation, property fraud, interference with public affairs, and deliberate acts causing harm, Ansari's criminal legacy was extensive. His name first appeared in connection with the Sachchidanand Rai murder case of 1988, stemming from a land dispute in Ghazipur district.

Foray Into Politics

Ansari ventured into student politics at Kashi Hindu University and later contested the Mau seat in 1996 on a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket, securing his first term as an MLA. Subsequently, he retained the seat five times, through various political affiliations — as an independent candidate in 2002 and 2007, under his own party, Qaumi Ekta Dal, in 2012, and following a merger with the BSP in 2017.

Mukhtar Ansari Assets

In June 2023, after releasing a list of 66 gangsters that also named Mukhtar Ansari, the UP Police had said action was taken against 288 members of Ansari's gang, and 155 FIRs had been lodged. 

The police had said at the time Mukhtar Ansari's assets valued at Rs 586 crore had been attached and his illegal businesses worth over Rs 2100 crore shut down. With the UP administration under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath making efforts to combat the influence of Ansari, assets worth approximately Rs 605 crores had been confiscated or destroyed as part of the crackdown over the last few years, the government has said later last year.

In his last election affidavit filed in 2017, Ansari had disclosed moveable and immoveable assets valued at Rs 21 crore, including assets held under the names of his four dependents. Additionally, he declared 16 self-reported criminal cases against him. 

Ansari is survided by his wife and sons Abbas Ansari and Umar Ansari.