Afzal Ansari Wiki, Age, Caste, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

Afzal Ansari is an Indian politician and a member of the Bahujan Samaj Party. He is a Member of Parliament (MP) of India for the Ghazipur constituency, Uttar Pradesh and has served as an MLA from Mohammadabad, Uttar Pradesh, five times. Mukhtar Ansari is his younger brother. In April 2023, he hit the headlines after Afzal and Mukhtar Ansari were convicted in the 1996 kidnapping case of VHP worker Nandkishore Rungta and the 2005 murder case of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai.

Wiki/Biography

Afzal Ansari was born on Friday, 14 August 1953 (age 70 years; as of 2023) in Yusufpur, Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh. His zodiac sign is Leo. He grew up in Yusufpur, Ghazipur district, Uttar Pradesh, and attended a local school, where he completed his 10th standard in 1969 and 12th standard in 1971. After completing his schooling, he enrolled at Post Graduate College in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in arts. From the same college, he earned a master’s degree in arts in 1976. ^[1]Government of India He got affiliated with the student federation of his college while pursuing his graduation. ^[2]The Lallantop YouTube interview

Physical Appearance

Height (approx.): 6′

Hair Colour: Black

Eye Colour: Dark Brown

Family & Caste

Afzal Ansari was born into a Muslim family belonging to the Sunni sect in Uttar Pradesh. ^[3]Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha

Parents & Siblings

Afzal Ansari’s father Subhanullah Ansari (deceased) was the chairman of Nagar Palika Parishad, Mohammadabad; he was elected unopposed.

His mother’s name is Begum Rabia. She died in December 2018. He has two brothers, Sibakatullah Ansari (elder), and Mukhtar Ansari (younger). Both his brothers are politicians.

Wife & Children

Afzal Ansari is married to Farhat Ansari. They got married on 26 October 1991. Together they have three daughters, Mariya Ansari, Nusrat Ansari, and Nuriya Ansari.

Other Relatives

His grandfather, Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari, was a politician and the former president of the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League. He was one of the founders of the Jamia Millia Islamia University, and he served as its chancellor from 1928 to 1936. Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari was also a renowned surgeon who led the Indian medical mission to treat Turkish soldiers injured during the Balkan War. Ansari studied at Charing Cross Hospital in London, where, in his honour, a medical ward has been named after him.

His maternal grandfather, Brigadier Usman Ansari, was an Indian Army officer, who was awarded India’s second-highest military award, Mahavir Chakra. He is also known as the Lion of Nowshera for his pivotal role in the defence of the Kashmiri town of Nowshera against the Pakistani attackers during the 1947-48 India-Pakistan War. He was killed during the war. As per sources, Usman Ansari was personally asked by Mohammad Ali Jinnah to join the Pakistan Army after the partition of India. Jinnah also offered him the post of a general in the army; however, Usman declined his proposal and continued serving in the Indian Army.

His second cousin, Mohammad Hamid Ansari, served as the Vice President of India from 2007 to 2017.

His nephew Abbas Ansari (Mukhtar Ansari’s elder son) is an Indian politician and a skeet shooter. His other nephew Mannu Ansari (son of his elder brother Sibakatullah Ansari) is also a politician.

Religion

Afzal Ansari follows Islam.

Address

He resides at Yusufpur Sheikhtola, Jamalpur, Mohammedabad, Ghazipur- 233 227, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Signature/Autograph

Career

Member of the UP Legislative Assembly

Afzal Ansari started his political career in 1985 when he contested the UP Vidhan Sabha elections on a ticket of the Communist Party of India (CPI) from the Mohammadabad constituency. He won the elections by receiving a total of 29,816 votes. While giving an interview, Afzal said that he initially went to meet Chaudhary Charan Singh and Mulayam Singh Yadav to ask for a ticket to contest the 1985 Vidhan Sabha elections; however, his request was declined as a result of which he contested the elections on CPI’s ticket. In 1989, he contested the UP Legislative Assembly elections on CPI’s ticket from the Mohammadabad constituency; he emerged victorious in the elections by receiving 39,588 votes. Afzal Ansari went on to contest and win the 1991 and 1993 UP Vidhan Sabha elections on CPI’s ticket from the Mohammadabad constituency. In 1996, Afzal Ansari left CPI and became a member of the Samajwadi Party (SP). He was elected to the legislative assembly from the Mohammadabad constituency in the same year. From 1997 to 1998, Afzal served on the Committee on Estimates as a member. In 2002, he contested the UP Legislative Assembly polls on SP’s ticket from the Mohammadabad constituency; however, he lost to Krishnanand Rai of the BJP.

Member of the Parliament

He contested the 2004 Lok Sabha elections from the Ghazipur constituency on Samajwadi Party’s ticket and won. He received a total of 74,015 votes in the elections. In the same year, he was appointed as a member of the Committee on Chemicals & Fertilizers, Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Railway, Central Haj Committee, and Committee on Chemicals & Fertilizers. In 2007, he left the membership of the Samajwadi Party and joined the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). However, Afzal and his brother Mukhtar were removed from the party in 2010 by Mayawati after she discovered Mukhtar’s involvement in criminal activities. Talking about it, in an interview, the spokesperson of BSP said,

We had allowed the Ansari brothers to join the party on their request and a promise that they would refrain from any criminal activities in the future, but the recent raid in Ghazipur jail proved he was still involved in criminal activities. The party gave them an opportunity to reform as the brothers had claimed they had been framed in criminal cases for fighting against the feudal system.”

In the same year, Mukhtar, Afzal, and Sibgatullah formed their party named Quami Ekta Dal (QED). Afzal Ansari contested the 2014 general elections on Quami Ekta Dal’s ticket from the Ballia constituency; however, he was defeated in the elections by a Samajwadi Party candidate named Neeraj Shekhar. In 2017, QED was dissolved and amalgamated into BSP. In 2019, he contested the Lok Sabha elections on Bahujan Samaj Party’s ticket from the Ghazipur constituency and emerged victorious. On 13 September 2019, he was appointed as a member of the Standing Committee on Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Food Processing.

Later, he was appointed as a member of the Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Railway. Following his conviction by a local court, Afzal Ansari was disqualified as a member of the parliament on 1 May 2023. The Secretariat of the Lok Sabha, in its official statement, said,

Consequent upon his conviction… Afzal Ansari, Member of Lok Sabha representing the Ghazipur Parliamentary Constituency of Uttar Pradesh, stands disqualified from the membership of Lok Sabha from the date of his conviction i.e. 29 April, 2023 in terms of the provisions of Article 102(1)(e) of the Constitution of India read with Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.”

Controversies

Cases Where Accused

• 1 charge related to an Attempt to murder (IPC Section-307)

• 1 charge related to Punishment for murder (IPC Section-302)

• 1 charge related to Dishonest misappropriation of property possessed by the deceased person at the time of his death (IPC Section-404)

• 2 charges related to Wearing garb or carrying a token used by a public servant with fraudulent intent (IPC Section-171)

• 2 charges related to Disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant (IPC Section-188)

• 2 charges related to Punishment for Rioting (IPC Section-147)

• 2 charges related to Rioting, armed with a deadly weapon (IPC Section-148)

• 1 charge related to Assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty (IPC Section-353)

• 1 charge related to Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of an offence committed in prosecution of a common object (IPC Section-149)

• 1 charge related to Punishment of criminal conspiracy (IPC Section-120B) ^[4]MyNeta

Seizure of property

In 2022, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) seized Afzal Ansari’s worth of Rs. 12,50,00,000 in Dalibagh, Lucknow. As per the ED officials, Ansari had purchased the house through illegal means in the name of his wife Farhat Ansari. The property was seized by the ED under the Uttar Pradesh Gangster and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act. ^[5]Dainik Bhaskar

Convicted under the UP Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act

On 29 April 2023, a local court in Uttar Pradesh handed out four years in prison sentence to Afzal Ansari and ten years in prison sentence to his brother Mukhtar Ansari after the court convicted the duo of kidnapping Nandkishore Rungta, a VHP worker, in 1996, as well as the murder of Krishnanand Rai, a BJP politician, in 2005. Rai was killed by assailants armed with automatic weapons on 29 November 2005 while he was attending a family function in his native village, where Rai was invited to inaugurate a cricket match. According to sources, the Ansari brothers convinced Rai to come to the cricket field without his bodyguards or the government-issued bulletproof car. While he was returning after inaugurating the match, Rai was shot and killed. The court also asked Afzal to pay Rs. 1 lac and Mukhtar to pay Rs. 5 lacs as a penalty. ^[6]DNA

Car Collection

• Tata Safari (Bulletproof)

• Tata Sumo

• Mahindra Jeep

Salary

Afzal Ansari receives a salary of Rs. 1 lac + other allowances as a Member of the Parliament (MP).

Assets & Properties

Movable Assets

• Cash: Rs. 1,25,000

• Bank Deposits: Rs. 37,63,393

• LIC or other insurance Policies: Rs. 1,30,980

• Motor Vehicles: Rs. 11,70,000

• Jewellery: Rs. 3,50,000

• Other Assets (Pistol and Rifle): Rs. 2,07,000

Immovable Assets

• Agricultural Land: Rs. 3,13,91,525

• Non-Agricultural Land: Rs. 14,05,000

• Commercial Buildings: Rs. 1,53,55,000

• Residential Buildings: Rs. 35,00,000

Note: The given estimates of movable and immovable assets are according to the year 2019. It excludes the assets owned by his wife and dependents (minor). ^[7]MyNeta

Net Worth

Afzal Ansari’s net worth for the year 2019 was estimated to be Rs. 5,73,97,898. ^[8]MyNeta It excludes the net worth of his wife and dependents (minors).

Facts/Trivia

• Afzal Ansari is a hodophile (one who likes to travel a lot) and has visited many countries including Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom.

• He once participated in the Inter-Parliamentary Cricket World Cup in the UK.
  

  A photo of Afzal Ansari in the Inter-Parliamentary Cricket World Cup jersey

• Afzal Ansari owns an Inflatable Rubber Motor Boat worth Rs. 30,000.

• Apart from cricket, Afzal Ansari also likes football.