Past mustard and wheat fields, over a dusty bridge, a cavalcade of 13 SUVs enters a nondescript village in Mau district of eastern Uttar Pradesh. Abbas Ansari walks out of one of the vehicles towards the square. He bears a strong semblance to his father, Mukhtar Ansari, especially because of his twirled-up moustache. The 26-year-old sports a blue scarf and four wristbands of the Bahujan Samaj Party’s blue. Young and old, especially women, rush out to welcome him. A plate of chura (a rich, flattened snack), jaggery balls and a glass of water is served to him as custom in this part of the country.
“The media people call us mafia. Now you show them if we are mafia or messiah,” Mr. Abbas addresses the Rajbhar women (a ‘most backward caste’) assembled there in chaste Bhojpuri.
The villagers have good things to say about Mr. Abbas and his family. Some even reach out to bless him. “All these electric poles were set up 15 years ago by Mukhtar bhai (the village then fell under the Mau constituency), and the roads and tubewells too. But no party or MLA has worked for us since. Look at the condition of the roads today,” Ganpat Rajbhar said.
A call away
A few moments later, Mr. Abbas is informed by residents that the village has had no power supply for the past 24 hours. “Dial the chairman,” he directs his aides without any delay. After speaking to a senior official, he assures villagers that power would be restored within a few hours. “I will take care of you. Bestow me with your blessings,” Mr. Abbas appeals to villagers as he exits the locality.
Making his political debut from the Ghosi seat on the BSP ticket, Abbas hopes his father’s goodwill among the poor and downtrodden, and clout, will see him through. But there also comes the burden of being Mukhtar Ansari’s son — the four-time MLA from neighbouring Mau seat is accused of dozens of crimes and is currently in jail in connection with the 2005 murder of the BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai.
“False cases were registered against my father to put an end to our politics. If he was mafia, why would people entrust faith in us for the past 25 years,” says Mr. Abbas, who himself enjoys a clean image. In fact, he is an exemplary sportsperson. He is a member of the Indian shooting team and is among the top 10 skeet shooters, winning acclaim in two subsequent World Cups — Germany and Finland. He secured his first national championship in 2011 in the shotgun category, and missed a berth in the Rio Olympics after an accident in 2014, which kept him out of practice for a year. “I am one of the few shooters who excel in all three categories — big bore rifle, skeet and pistol,” says Mr. Abbas.
