UP election results 2022: 'Gangster' Mukhtar Ansari's son Abbas likely to win Mau, leads by over 35,000 votes

Abbas Ansari, 30, is the political heir-apparent of Mukhtar Ansari (Image: News18)

Abbas Ansari, the son of jailed "gangster" Mukhtar Ansari, is likely to win eastern Uttar Pradesh's Mau assembly constituency as he has taken a decisive lead of over 35,000 votes.

The junior Ansari, who is contesting on the ticket of Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), an ally of the Samajwadi Party, received 73,739 votes, as per the trends shared by the Election Commission at 2:55 pm.

His nearest rival, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Ashok Kumar Singh, received 37,227 votes by the same time.

Others candidates in the fray - the Bahujan Samaj Party's (BSP) Bhim and Congress' Madhavendra Singh - received 13,922 and 2,484 votes, respectively, as per the latest data shared by the polling body.

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The Mau seat is considered as a bastion of Mukhtar Ansari, who has won the constituency in five consecutive elections since 1996. In this election, Ansari paved the way for his 30-year-old son.

Notably, Mukhtar Ansari is in jail for the past 10 years. He is booked in a total of 12 criminal cases, including a charge of murder. Five of those cases were registered in Mau.

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While the Samajwadi Party-led alliance is likely to score a victory in Mau, the coalition was trailing behind the BJP in the majority of the state. As per the trends available so far, the saffron party was set to retain power and form the next government with around 260 seats.

This will be the first time in the last 37 years when a ruling party has retained power in Uttar Pradesh. The results assume significance on a larger political scale as well, as UP is considered to be India's most bellwether state and is likely to set the tone for the 2024 parliamentary elections.