Date: 
30.03.2009

NEW DELHI: ''Arre Bhutkun! Dekhta kya hai, nikal bandook aur maar!'' bellowed ex-MP Anand Mohan Singh when he spotted Gopalganj DM G Krishnaiah's white Ambassador while leading a funeral procession of Bhutkun's brother. Bhutkun, a notorious criminal, obliged and a bullet was pumped into Krishnaiah at one delirious command of the 'bahubali'. Thirteen years later, in 2007, Mohan was sentenced to death (the term was later commuted to life). But even as his trial was on, Mohan entered the 11th and 12th Lok Sabhas though he hasn't contested since.

With the Supreme Court barring convicts from polls, three MPs from Bihar — Mohammad Shahabuddin and Pappu Yadav (RJD), and Suraj Bhan Singh (LJP) — are out of the race. But there are still 70-odd alleged criminals determined to make their way into the Lok Sabha.

The largest number of tainted candidates are in Mayawati's BSP. Ironically, the party came to power in UP on the pledge of ending criminalisation of politics. Next is the SP, followed by Lalu Prasad's RJD and Ram Vilas Paswan's LJP. And the malaise isn't restricted to regional parties. Congress and BJP have their share of tainted candidates.

In Uttar Pradesh where it is contesting 80 seats, BSP has given tickets to 24 dons and alleged criminals. Next is Mulayam Singh Yadav's SP with six alleged criminals as candidates. BJP in UP has three.

An overwhelming majority of bahubalis are in UP and Bihar — the two north Indian states that witnessed fragmentation of politics and erosion of the rule of law in the 1970s and '80s, largely due to a nexus between politicians and criminals. Bahubalis are provincial musclemen with strong feudal roots. In rural UP and Bihar, they represent the brute face of Indian democracy. They can mobilise voters as well as terrorise them, prevent voting and even get elections cancelled through violence. Other regions that have produced such dons are West Bengal, Maharashtra and North-east.

Among the BSP's candidates is Dhananjay Singh, accused of four murders. He is contesting from Jaunpur. Aruna Kumar Shukla 'Anna', a known bad character, is a candidate from Unnao. D P Yadav, accused in several cases of extortion and murder, is fighting from Badaun. Kadir Rana of Muzaffarnagar and Rakesh Pandey from

Ambedkar Nagar are accused in murder cases. Rizwan Zahir from Shravasti is a known gangster.

SP candidates with an alleged criminal past are Brij Bhushan Singh from Gonda, Rakesh Sachhan from Fatehpur, Mitra Sen Yadav from Faizabad, O P Gupta from Dhaurhara and Bal Kumar (brother of dreaded dacoit Daduwa) from Mirzapur. Seema Parihar, a bandit who killed over 70 people, is contesting from Mirzapur on Indian Justice Party ticket.

In West Bengal, Congress 'bahubali' Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary is in the fray from Berhampore. He was acquitted in a double murder case but some cases are still pending. In Bihar, JD(U) has given LS ticket to a criminal-turned-politician Vijay Kumar Shukla alias Munna. He was also convicted in the sensational murder of Gopalganj DM G Krishnaiah, but acquitted by Patna High Court. Another party old-timer and sitting MP Prabhunath Singh was recently acquitted in a murder case even as other cases are pending. LJP has propped up MLA Rama

Singh, an accused in at least 10 criminal cases, from Ara.

Meanwhile, the three convicted crime lords of Bihar — Shahabuddin, Pappu Yadav and Suraj Bhan — have done a Lalu-Rabri. Shahabuddin's wife Hina has been given RJD ticket from Siwan while Surajbhan's wife Veena Devi is running from Nawada on LJP ticket. Pappu's wife Ranjita Ranjan, already an MP, will again contest from Supaul as an LJP nominee.

City: 
NEW DELHI
Source url: 
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-03-30/india/28055316_1_sp-candidates-bahubalis-criminals
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