Disqualified lawmakers' list grows longer in UP

With the disqualification of BSP MP Afzal Ansari from the Lok Sabha almost a certainty now, following his conviction in a Gangsters` Act case, Uttar Pradesh seems to be setting up a record of sorts when it comes to disqualified lawmakers.

In September 2013, Rashid Masood of the Congress had lost his Rajya Sabha seat after being convicted by the Supreme Court on charges of corruption and other offences. He became the first MP to lose his seat after the SC struck down a provision in the electoral law -- the Representation of the People Act of 1951 -- that provided immunity to MPs and MLAs from immediate disqualification.

As per a Supreme Court order of 2013, the membership of an MP/MLA is annulled if s/he is convicted and sentenced to two years or more.

The latest in the line is BSP MP Afzal Ansari, who had won the 2019 Lok Sabha election from the Ghazipur constituency by defeating incumbent J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.

Ansari was convicted and sentenced to four years in jail in a case under the Gangsters Act by a Ghazipur court on Saturday.

Among the UP legislators who have faced disqualification, are former SP MLAs Mohd Azam Khan (Rampur) and his son Abdullah Azam (Suar).

Azam Khan and Abdullah Azam were disqualified in February this year after being convicted in a case related to hate speech, holding a demonstration and blocking traffic.

Abdullah Azam has been disqualified twice from the UP Assembly. He was earlier disqualified in 2020 after the Allahabad High Court set aside his election to the Assembly. His previous disqualification was effective from December 16, 2019.

BJP MLA Vikram Saini (Khatauli-Muzaffarnagar) recently lost their memberships on the same ground.