6 INDIA MPs in UP facing criminal charges may shift power balance. What it means for election results.

Six newly-elected MPs from the INDIA bloc in Uttar Pradesh are facing criminal charges that could attract a jail sentence of over two years. The Lok Sabha election 2024 in Uttar Pradesh saw a neck-and-neck competition between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the INDIA bloc, with the opposition eventually getting more seats in the state than the ruling alliance. However, the general election result in the state might be jeopardised as six MPs from the INDIA bloc are facing multiple criminal charges that may lead to a jail term of over two years. If the six MPs from INDIA bloc are convicted in their ongoing criminal cases, they will lose their parliamentary membership, as per an IANS report. The most notable among them is Ghazipur MP Afzal Ansari, the elder brother of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari who died earlier this year. Ansari has already been convicted to a four-year sentence in a Gangster Act case. His conviction was stayed by the Allahabad High Court which allowed him to contest in the general elections. However, the case will be heard in July when the court reopens, reported IANS. If the court upholds his conviction, he will lose his Parliament membership. Azamgarh MP Dharmendra Yadav has four criminal cases pending against him, and will lose his membership if he is convicted for more than two years. Jaunpur MP Babu Singh Kushwaha has 25 cases filed against him related to the NRHM scam, which took place when Mayawati was the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. Rambhual Nishad, who won the Sultanpur seat by defeating BJP’s Maneka Gandhi, is the accused in eight cases, one of which is filed under the Gangster Act. Similarly, multiple cases have been registered against Virendra Singh (MP from Chandauli) and Imran Masood (MP from Saharanpur). Cases registered against these INDIA bloc MPs range from a wide array of offenses, such as money laundering, intimidation, and sections of the Gangster Act, which could attract a jail term of more than two years. In the past, many MPs have lost their membership to the Parliament after being convicted in criminal cases. Mohd Azam Khan, Khaboo Tiwari, Vikram Saini and Ashok Chandel were some of these political leaders. The Lok Sabha election 2024 in Uttar Pradesh, which has 80 parliamentary seats, saw NDA winning 36 total seats while BJP won 33 seats alone. The INDIA bloc, consisting of Samajwadi Party and Congress, won 43 seats.