Afzal Ansari

Afzal Ansari is an Indian politician and a Lok Sabha MP (Member of Parliament) from the constituency of Ghazipur in the state of Uttar Pradesh. He is a member of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Afzal Ansari defeated his nearest rival Manoj Sinha of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by a margin of more than 1.2 lakh votes. Manoj Sinha had earlier won Ghazipur seat three times in 1996, 1999 and 2014. Afzal Ansari had earlier won Ghazipur seat in 2004. Prior to Lok Sabha, Afzal had served as Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) of Uttar Pradesh for five terms from 1985 to 2001. Afzal had an edge in 2019 general elections, as SP (Samajwadi Party) and BSP had fought the elections jointly in Uttar Pradesh.

Early Life and Education

Afzal Ansari was born on August 14, 1953 to Shri Subhanullah Ansari and Smt. Begum Rabia. He was born in Yusufpur, which is located in Ghazipur district in Uttar Pradesh. Afzal is a post graduate and has received education from Post Graduate College, Ghazipur (Uttar Pradesh). Afzal married Farhat Ansari on October 26, 1991. By profession, Afzal is an agriculturist.

Political Career

• 1985-2001: Member, Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly (five terms)
• 2004: Elected to 14th Lok Sabha
• Member, Committee on Chemicals & Fertilizers
• Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Railways
• Member, Central Haj Committee of India
• 5 Aug. 2007- May 2009: Member, Committee on Chemicals & Fertilizers
• 12 March, 2009: Resigned on 12 March, 2009
• May, 2019: Re-elected to 17th Lok Sabha (2nd term)

Personal Pursuits

Afzal Ansari has been actively involved in various social and cultural programs. He has also helped in establishment of educational institutes for girl child. He has been associated with projects that seek to help poor and weaker sections of the society. In his free time, Afzal Ansari likes to visit places of natural beauty. He also has interests in wildlife photography and rearing pedigree dogs. In sports, he likes cricket, chess and badminton.