At least six newly elected MPs of the INDIA bloc and one additional member face serious criminal charges that could lead to jail terms exceeding two years, risking their parliamentary membership.
Afzal Ansari, who won the Ghazipur seat, has already been sentenced to four years in a Gangster Act case. The Allahabad High Court stayed his conviction last month, allowing him to contest the polls. However, his hearing is scheduled for July, and if the court upholds the conviction, Ansari will lose his Lok Sabha seat.
Dharmendra Yadav, the victor from Azamgarh, has four pending cases. A conviction exceeding two years could strip him of his parliamentary position. Similarly, Babu Singh Kushwaha, who secured the Jaunpur seat after a decade-long political hiatus, faces numerous charges related to the NRHM scam from the Mayawati regime. He has charges framed in eight out of 25 cases against him.
Rambhual Nishad, who triumphed in Sultanpur against BJP?s Maneka Gandhi, has eight registered cases, including one under the Gangsters Act, making him one of the "vulnerable" winners of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Virendra Singh, who defeated former minister Mahendra Nath Pandey in Chandauli, also faces criminal charges that could jeopardize his seat if convicted.
Congress's Imran Masood, who won the Saharanpur seat, has eight cases against him, including one by the ED related to money laundering. Charges have been framed in two cases. The seventh candidate, Chandra Shekhar Azad of Azad Samaj Party, who won the Nagina reserved seat, faces over 30 cases. A conviction exceeding two years in any of these cases would severely impact his political career.
Historically, several political leaders have lost their parliamentary membership following criminal convictions. Notable examples include Mohd Azam Khan, his son Abdullah Azam of SP, Khaboo Tiwari, Vikram Saini, Ram Dular Gond, Kuldeep Sengar, and Ashok Chandel, all of the BJP.
The situation underscores the legal vulnerabilities facing some of the newly elected representatives of the INDIA bloc, raising questions about the future composition of the Lok Sabha.
