On 15 October 2025, ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) nominated Osama Shahab, son of late gangster-turned-politician Mohammad Shahabuddin, as its candidate from the Raghunathpur constituency.
This report compiles eleven instances between 2016 and 2025 in which individuals with criminal backgrounds or family links to gangsters joined politics or filed nominations under parties affiliated with the I.N.D.I Alliance.
#1 RJD Fields Gangster’s Son in Bihar
On 15 October 2025, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) nominated Osama Shahab, the son of late gangster-turned-politician Mohammad Shahabuddin, as its candidate from the Raghunathpur constituency in Siwan, Bihar. This move, ahead of the state elections, drew accusations of the party forming a “mafia alliance.” Shahabuddin, a former RJD MP, had faced over 60 criminal cases, including murder and kidnapping, and was convicted in a 2004 acid attack and the murder of a witness. The nomination was seen as a reflection of the entrenched links between crime and politics in the state.
#2 Congress Tickets Don’s Son in UP
The Indian National Congress inducted Amarnani Tripathi to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Maharajganj, Uttar Pradesh on 11 March 2024. Tripathi is the son of former Samajwadi Party leader and jailed gangster Amarmani Tripathi, who was convicted in the Madhumita Shukla murder case. The senior Tripathi had faced over 36 criminal cases, including charges of murder, attempt to murder, and extortion. The Congress’s decision to field him brought the party’s candidate selection criteria under intense public and media scrutiny.
#3 SP Backs Ansari After Legal Reprieve
On 20 February 2024, the Samajwadi Party (SP) awarded its Ghazipur Lok Sabha ticket to Afzal Ansari, the brother of incarcerated gangster Mukhtar Ansari. This came after the Supreme Court temporarily suspended Afzal Ansari’s 2023 conviction under the Gangsters Act, which had disqualified him as an MP. Mukhtar Ansari, a gangster-turned-politician, had faced over 63 criminal cases, including murder and extortion. The SP’s decision to re-nominate him highlighted the complex interplay between legal processes and political candidacy.
#4 Kin of Slain Gangster Gets Congress Ticket
The Congress party fielded Neha Tiwari, a relative of slain gangster Vikas Dubey, from the Kalyanpur assembly seat in Kanpur on 2 February 2022. Dubey, who had 61 criminal cases including eight for murder, was the main accused in the 2020 Bikru encounter where eight policemen were killed. Tiwari justified her candidacy by stating her intention to pursue justice. The nomination underscored the political rehabilitation of figures associated with notorious criminals.
#5 SP Fields Accused Under Gangster Act
On 17 January 2022, the Samajwadi Party nominated Nahid Hasan as its candidate for the Kairana assembly constituency in Uttar Pradesh. Hasan, who has a criminal background, was accused under the UP Gangsters Act and faced more than 16 criminal cases. His selection brought accusations of the party leveraging strongmen for electoral gains in a region known for complex social and law-and-order dynamics.
#6 Wife of Gangster Contested on SP Ticket
Richa Dubey, the wife of gangster Vikas Dubey, contested a Zila Panchayat seat in Kanpur Nagar on a Samajwadi Party ticket on 5 September 2021. Vikas Dubey, who had 61 criminal cases, was the main accused in the Bikru massacre. Following the 2020 incident, the SP denied any ongoing affiliation with Richa Dubey, but her earlier candidacy demonstrated the political connections maintained by the gangster’s family.
#7 Jailed Gangster Contests on SP Ticket
Mohammad Muzaffar, a jailed gangster, contested the Block Pramukh election from Naini Jail in Prayagraj as a Samajwadi Party candidate on 10 July 2021. Muzaffar faced over 30 criminal cases, including charges related to cow smuggling and the Gangster Act. His ability to run for a political office from prison raised serious questions about the influence of criminal elements within the political system.
#8 Former Gangster on RJD Ticket
Ritlal Yadav, a former gangster facing over 33 criminal charges including murder and extortion, filed his nomination for the Danapur constituency on a Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) ticket on 13 October 2020. Yadav, who was released on bail just two months prior, in August 2020, participated in the Bihar Assembly elections, illustrating the direct entry of individuals with serious criminal records into the electoral fray.
#9 SP Fields Another Ansari Kin
On 11 December 2016, the Samajwadi Party announced Sigbatullah Ansari, the brother of jailed gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari, as its candidate from the Mohammadabad assembly seat in Ghazipur for the 2017 Uttar Pradesh elections. The decision attracted significant criticism due to the Ansari family’s notorious criminal-political background, with Mukhtar facing over 63 criminal cases including murder and extortion.
#10 SP Nominates Notorious Mafia Don
The Samajwadi Party nominated mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed, who was facing over 150 criminal cases including murder, kidnapping, and extortion, from the Kanpur Cantonment seat on 10 December 2016. Ahmed’s candidacy in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections became a stark symbol of the criminalization of politics, drawing national attention and condemnation.
#11 JMM’s Gangster-Legislator Shot Dead
On 30 November 2016, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Upendra Singh, a gangster-turned-politician who had received a party ticket for elections, was shot dead inside a Jamshedpur court. Singh, who faced over six criminal cases including murder, was killed in an attack police suspected was a result of criminal rivalry.
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