Afzal Ansari | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2019 | |
| Member of Parliament,Lok Sabha | |
| Assumed office 23 May 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Manoj Sinha |
| Constituency | Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh |
| In office 22 May 2004 – 16 May 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Manoj Sinha |
| Succeeded by | Radhe Mohan Singh |
| Constituency | Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh |
| Member ofUttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 1985–2002 | |
| Preceded by | Sarju Pande |
| Succeeded by | Krishnanand Rai |
| Constituency | Mohammadabad |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1953-08-14)14 August 1953 (age 71) Yusufpur,Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Political party | Samajwadi Party |
| Other political affiliations | Quami Ekta Dal Bahujan Samaj Party Communist Party of India |
| Spouse | |
| Relations | Mukhtar Ansari (brother) Sibgatullah Ansari (brother) Hamid Ansari (Uncle) Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari (grandfather) Abbas Ansari (nephew) Umar Ansari (Nephew) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parents |
|
| Residence | 22, Janpath, New Delhi |
| Education | Gorakhpur University |
| Profession | Politician |
| Source:[1] | |
Afzal Ansari (born 14 August 1953)[1] is an Indian politician[2] of theSamajwadi Party and currently an incumbentMember of Parliament (MP) ofLok Sabha forGhazipur constituency inUttar Pradesh.[3][needs update] He won the2004,2019, and2024general elections.He has been declared as one of the 100 most influential Indian Muslims of 2024 by Muslim Mirror and Minorites Media Foundation.
Afzal Ansari was born inYusufpur–Mohammadabad town inGhazipur district,Uttar Pradesh to Subhanullah Ansari and Begum Rabia. He received his school education. For higher studies, he enrolled inthe local post-graduate college and completed Post Graduation from theUniversity of Gorakhpur.[4]
Afzal Ansari's father Subhanullah Ansari was the chairman ofNagar Palika Parishad, Mohammadabad, and was elected unopposed. His grandfatherMukhtar Ahmed Ansari served as the president (1926–1927) of theAll-India Muslim League, as well as theIndian National Congress (INC), and was one of the founders of theJamia Millia Islamia,[citation needed] New Delhi.
FormerVice President of IndiaMohammad Hamid Ansari is Afzal Ansari's cousin.
Afzal Ansari is married to Farhat Ansari since 26 October 1991 and the couple have 3 daughters.
Ansari's elder brotherSibgatullah Ansari and his younger brotherMukhtar Ansari[5] both were involved in politics and became MLA's in different constituencies.
Ansari started his political career with theCommunist Party of India.[6] He contestedUttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election in 1985 for the first time and defeated Abhay Narayan Rai fromIndian National Congress with a margin of 3,064 votes. From 1985 to 2002, Ansari served five terms asMember of the Legislative Assembly forMohammadabad Assembly constituency.[7]
Afzal Ansari contested the 2004Lok Sabha general election on theSamajwadi Party ticket and defeatedManoj Sinha of theBharatiya Janata Party with a margin of 226,777 votes.[8] He contested the 2009 general election on theSamajwadi Party (SP) ticket for Ghazipur but lost to theBhartiya Janta Party'sRadhe Mohan Singh.[9]
After some political differences, Ansari left the Samajwadi Party and founded a new political party calledQuami Ekta Dal and served as its Secretary-General before merging it with Samajwadi Party.[10][11][12][13] Ansari rejoined the SP in 2019 and contested the general election inGhazipur; he won the seat, becoming the17th Lok Sabha member from Ghazipur.
On 1 May 2023, Ansari was disqualified as aMember of Parliament following being given a 4 year jail sentence. His suspension was revoked on 15 December 2023 by theSupreme Court of India.[14]
Afzal Ansari has been elected 5 times as MLA and 3 times asLok Sabha MP.[15]
| # | From | To | Position | Political party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1985 | 1989 | MLA (1st term) fromMohammadabad | Communist Party of India | |
| 2. | 1989 | 1991 | MLA (2nd term) fromMohammadabad | Communist Party of India | |
| 3. | 1991 | 1993 | MLA (3rd term) fromMohammadabad | Communist Party of India | |
| 4. | 1993 | 1996 | MLA (4th term) fromMohammadabad | Communist Party of India | |
| 5. | 1996 | 2002 | MLA (5th term) fromMohammadabad | Samajwadi Party | |
| 6. | 2004 | 2009 | MP (1st term) in14th Lok Sabha fromGhazipur | Samajwadi Party | |
| 7. | 2019 | 2024 | MP (2nd term) in17th Lok Sabha fromGhazipur[a] | Bahujan Samaj Party | |
| 8. | 2024[16] | -- | MP (3rd term) in18th Lok Sabha fromGhazipur | Samajwadi Party | |
After inaugurating a cricket tournament in 2005,MLA Krishnanand Rai's cavalcade was ambushed while he was returning home.Krishnanand Rai and six of his aides were killed by AK-47 bullet fires. Both Ansari (Mukhtar Ansari and Afzal Ansari) brothers were booked under Gangster act in connection with murder of BJP legislator Krishnanand Rai in November 2005 and kidnapping-murder of trader from Varanasi in 1997.[17]
On 1 May 2023, Ansari was disqualified as aMember of Parliament following being given a 4-year jail sentence. His suspension was revoked on 15 December 2023 by theSupreme Court of India.
