Rising Disqualifications: The Case of Abbas Ansari and More

In a notable development, Abbas Ansari, the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) MLA from Mau in Uttar Pradesh, has been disqualified from the state's legislative assembly. Official sources confirmed the decision following Ansari's sentencing to two years in jail over a hate speech case.

The vacancy in the Mau assembly seat arises from the stringent application of the Representation of the People Act, which mandates disqualification of any assembly member sentenced to two years or more by a court. Ansari, son of the notorious politician Mukhtar Ansari, remarkably clinched his assembly seat in the 2022 elections representing the SBSP, then allied with the Samajwadi Party.

This situation isn't isolated, as several other MLAs have faced disqualification including notable figures like Azam Khan and his son Abdullah, reflecting a wave of legal actions over criminal activities against legislators within the state.

(With inputs from agencies.)