Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav visited the family of gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari today. Ansari was cremated last month in his hometown Ghazipur. Since then, there has been political bickering over his death with the opposition parties demanding a probe and the government ordering it.  While AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi visited him this week, Akhilesh Yadav's visit holds a significant space in the state's political dynamics. Ansari's brother Afzal Ansari is contesting the Lok Sabha polls on the Samajwadi Party ticket from Ghazipur. He is the sitting MP from the seat. However, Mukhtar Ansari's influence is not limited to just one seat. 



Mukhtar Ansari And UP Politics


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According to reports, the political parties are trying to cash in on the resentment among Muslims after the death of Ansari. There are 28 districts in Purvanchal. It has a population of 83% Hindus and 17% Muslims. Of these, five districts have a greater Muslim population. These districts are- Balrampur with 37% Muslim Population, Bahraich 34%, Shrawasti 31%, Siddharthnagar 29% and 23%. Mukhtar Ansari's popularity and fear were such in Purvanchal that he won elections from prison. Mukhtar Ansari has been a key factor in eight Lok Sabha seats in six districts. These are - two seats each in Ghazipur and Jaunpur, Mau, Azamgarh, Varanasi, and Mirzapur. 


Samajwadi Party's Purvanchal Bid


By visiting Ansari, Akhilesh is looking to win over Muslim votes in an attempt to bag these seats. The BJP is looking to clean sweep Uttar Pradesh but the SP in alliance with Congress is not looking to sit back and just watch the game. It has planned to once again tap the M-Y (Muslim-Yadav) combination to defeat the BJP. 


Vote Equation In Uttar Pradesh


On these crucial seats, the M-Y combination has often emerged as a winning combination. On the eight seats of Purvanchal, there are 17% Muslims, and 13-14% Yadav and together they form around 31% of the votes. The BJP claims to have the support of 9-10% Brahmins, 6-7% Rajputs, 3-4% Rajbhars, 5-6% Kurmis and 4% Mauryas and these account for around 29-30% of voters. Then there are 20-21% SC voters. The swing in SC votes thus becomes crucial for winning.