BSP’s Afzal Ansari Disqualified As Lok Sabha Member After Conviction In Murder Case

Afzal Ansari of Bahujan Samaj Party lost his Lok Sabha membership after a Uttar Pradesh court sentenced him to four years of jail time in a kidnapping and murder case.

Afzal, Lok Sabha member from Ghazipur, and his brother Mukhtar Ansari were convicted and sentenced to 4 and 10 years in jail, respectively, by an MP/MLA court, reports The Indian Express.

The UP Gangsters Act was applied to the brothers for involvement in the murder of MLA Krishnanad Rai and trader Nand Kishore Rungta in 2005 and 1997 respectively.

Afzal Ansari, a Lok Sabha member for Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh, has been disqualified from his position due to his recent conviction. Article 102(1)(e) of India's Constitution and Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, establish that elected officials may lose their positions if convicted.

As a result, Ansari was disqualified from the Lok Sabha on 29 April 2023, as stated in a Lok Sabha secretariat notification.

After the incident, Keshavnagar residents protested by observing a bandh to condemn the murder and call for severe punishment for the killers, leading to increased tension.