'Disowned' by Mayawati, 'embraced' by Owaisi! AIMIM offers poll ticket to Mukhtar Ansari

Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM has offered to give ticket to gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari after BSP chief Mayawati announced that the party will make efforts to not field 'bahubali' (strongmen) or mafia candidates in next year's Uttar Pradesh polls.

AIMIM’s spokesperson Syed Asim Waqar has lashed out at the BSP chief and called Mayawati an 'opportunist'. "The AIMIM will give a ticket to Mukhtar Ansari to contest elections in Uttar Pradesh," he said.

Earlier today, Mayawati said that Ansari will not be given a party ticket from Mau again and that BSP's state president Bhim Rajbhar will contest from the seat. Mau is currently being represented by Mukhtar Ansari who is lodged in a jail in Banda, with several criminal cases pending against him.

"In upcoming assembly polls, the BSP's effort will be to not field 'bahubali' and mafia elements. So, the name of Bhim Rajbhar, the BSP UP president, has been finalised from the Mau assembly seat in place of Mukhtar Ansari," she said in a tweet in Hindi.

Mayawati's announcement comes days after Mukhtar Ansari's brother Sigbatullah Ansari joined the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party.

Mukhtar's another brother, Afzal Ansari, is a BSP MP who represents the Ghazipur seat. He had defeated the BJP’s Manoj Sinha, who is now the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir.

Mayawati said the decision to not field criminal and mafia elements has been taken to meet people's expectations as she appealed to party leaders to keep this in mind while choosing candidates.