Mau, June 1 -- Abbas Ansari, the sitting MLA from Mau Sadar and son of late gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, was convicted by a local court on Saturday in a 2022 hate speech case related to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. The court sentenced him to two years in prison - a verdict that could cost him his legislative seat. The case stems from a provocative speech delivered by Abbas during the poll campaign, in which he allegedly threatened government officials with retaliation if the Samajwadi Party came to power.
At the time, Abbas was contesting the Mau Sadar seat on the symbol of Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), which was in alliance with the SP. The seat was allocated to SBSP under the alliance, but Abbas was fielde...