Legal woes against new MPs may lead to potential disqualification

Lucknow: The prevailing criminal charges against at least six newly elected MPs of the INDIA bloc can potentially jeopardize their eligibility to stay in the position and could assure them a jail term of more than two years.

If this happens, these MPs stand the risk of losing their membership. Afzal Ansari, who has won the Ghazipur seat, has already been convicted to a four-year sentence in a Gangster Act case. His conviction was stayed by the Allahabad High Court last month and this allowed him to contest the polls. Hearing in the matter is scheduled for July when the court reopens after summer vacations.

If the court finally upholds the conviction, Ansari will lose his Lok Sabha membership. Dharmendra Yadav, who won the Azamgarh seat, also has four cases pending against his name and if he gets convicted for more than two years, he may also lose his membership. Babu Singh Kushwaha, who won the Jaunpur seat ending his 10-year-exile in politics, is facing several cases related to the NRHM scam that took place in the Mayawati regime where he was a minister. Charges have been framed in eight of the 25 cases filed against him.

Rambhual Nishad, who won the Sultanpur seat by defeating BJP’s Maneka Gandhi, has eight cases registered against him, including one under the Gangsters Act. He is also among the ‘vulnerable’ winners of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Virendra Singh who defeated former minister Mahendra Nath Pandey from Chandauli Lok Sabha seat, is another SP candidate facing criminal cases. His conviction could also bring bad news for him.

Eight cases are registered against Imran Masood of Congress who won the Saharanpur seat. The cases include one related to money laundering by the ED. Charges have been framed against him in two cases. The seventh candidate Chandra Shekhar Azad of Azad Samaj Party, who won the Nagina reserved seat, has over 30 cases registered against him. If he gets a conviction of more than two years in any one of the cases, his political career would be adversely impacted.

It is significant to note that several political leaders have lost their membership after getting convicted in criminal cases. Prominent among them are Mohd Azam Khan, his son Abdullah Azam of SP, Khaboo Tiwari, Vikram Saini, Ram Dular Gond, Kuldeep Sengar and Ashok Chandel -- all of BJP.

Source: IANS