Former PM Chandra Shekhar s son Neeraj Shekhar is contesting the BJP s seat in Ballia for the first time, balancing his father s socialist roots with his party s nationalist leanings. Shekhar was elected to the Lok Sabha for eight terms from Ballia in 1977. The BJP has maintained relations with followers of Chandra Shekhar, who are considered extra votes for the party.
The Ansaris were a family of freedom fighters, diplomats and scholars of impeccable repute. Then came Mukhtar Ansari, one of UP’s most dreaded gangsters. Days after Mukhtar’s death in Banda jail, The Indian Express travels to the eastern UP town to map his terrain of terror and crime
Mukhtar Ansari has now seen his fourth conviction, brother Afzal is disqualified as MP, wife is absconding, elder son is in jail, while his properties “worth Rs 575 crore” are either seized or demolished
The Samajwadi Party (SP) has emerged as the principal challenger to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh. As the countdown to the next state elections begins, it has its work cut out. In the Assembly polls in 2017, it tied up with the Congress Party; in the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, it aligned itself with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Both experiments