UP election: Mukhtar Ansari wins on BSP ticket, son and brother lose

LUCKNOW (INDIA): Gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, contesting on a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket, emerged winner from Mau assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday, while his son and brother, who contested from the same party, lost the polls.nnAnsari, who had merged his Quami Ekta Dal (QED) with the BSP before polls and claimed to ensure victory for the party, managed 96,411 votes while his nearest rival Mahendra Rajbhar of Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party, an ally of BJP, polled 89,947 votes.nnHowever, Ansari?s son Abbas Ansari, who was in fray from Ghosi seat and brother Sibgatullah Ansari who had contested from Mohmadabad, bit the dust in the crucial hustings which saw the BSP get bundled at 19 seats.nnIn Ghosi, Abbas secured 81,295 votes and lost to BJP?s Fagu Chauhan who polled 88,298 votes, while Sibgatullah Ansari lost Mohammadabad seat to BJP?s Alka Rai, wife of Krishnanand Rai who was allegedly killed by Ansari. Alka secured 1,22,156 votes while Sibgatullah got 89,429 votes.nnWhile announcing QED?s merger with BSP, party supremo Mayawati had claimed the image of the Ansari family was being ?maligned? by political rivals. They were being framed in ?false cases?, she had said before fielding them as party candidates.nnNotably, in June last year, QED had announced merger with Samajwadi Party in presence of Shivpal Yadav, the then state unit president of the party. However, the move was soon cancelled after a vehement opposition by Akhilesh Yadav.nnThis had led to a major fight between Akhilesh and his uncle Shivpal, culminating in a split in the party before they got back just in nick of time for the assembly polls.nnSource: Press TRust ofIndia