Nomination affidavits reveal candidates’ love for firearms

PRAYAGRAJ: Most high-profile candidates vying to get elected to the legislative assembly from Prayagraj region’s 22 seats seem to have one common trait — a fondness for fancy weapons. From a range of handguns to single and double-barrel rifles, the candidates, including the women in the fray, have licenses for multiple weapons for personal safety and protection — a fact shared by the candidates in the affidavits submitted at the time of filing nominations.

In Prayagraj, Apna Dal (S) candidate from Pratappur seat Rakesh Dhar Tripathi owns a rifle and a revolver worth ₹2 lakh, while SP candidate from Pratappur Vijama Yadav also has a rifle worth ₹2 lakh and a double-barrel rifle worth ₹40,000.

Similarly, the BJP candidate from Allahabad South and UP cabinet minister Nand Gopal Gupta “Nandi” owns a rifle, a pistol and a gun worth ₹3 lakh. His wife and Prayagraj mayor Abhilasha Gupta Nandi also own a rifle, a pistol and a gun worth ₹3 lakh.

Likewise, a Congress candidate from Allahabad North and four-time MLA Anugrah Narayan Singh owns a revolver worth ₹50,000 and a Mauser pistol worth ₹40,000. His wife Gita Singh owns a .25 bore pistol and a .22 bore rifle costing ₹27,700 each.

BJP MLA and candidate from Allahabad North seat Harshvardhan Bajpai also has a 9mm pistol costing ₹2 lakh, and a single-barrel 12 bore rifle worth ₹1 lakh.

BSP candidate from Allahabad South, Devendra Mishra Nagarha too has a revolver and double-barrel rife, while Raish Chandra Shukla of SP, fighting elections from the same seat, has a revolver.

BSP candidate from Koraon assembly seat Rajbali Jaisal and Congress candidate from the same seat, Ramkripal have three weapons each. They have a revolver, a rifle and a doublebarrel gun. The Apna Dal (S) candidate from Bara, Vachaspati, also has a double-barrel gun, a rifle and a revolver. His wife, too, has a pistol

“Over the years, keeping weapons, especially the costly ones, has become a trend among the political leaders, irrespective of the party they belong to. The worrying factor is that not only do these leaders have weapons on their names but they have involved their better halves too”, said a noted political analyst Prof MP Dubey, who is a former vice-chancellor of UP Rajarshi Tandon Open University and ex-head of the department of Political Science, Allahabad University.

In Pratapgarh, six-time MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias “Raja Bhaiya” of Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik), in the contest again from his Kunda seat, has a pistol (₹95,000) and two rifles worth ₹83,000 and ₹42,000, respectively. His wife, Bhanvi Kumari Singh, also owns a pistol (₹90,000) and two rifles costing ₹82,000 and ₹38,000, respectively.

Similarly, BJP candidate from Patti seat and former UP minister Rajendra Pratap Singh “Moti” owns a revolver worth ₹1.5 lakh and a rifle worth ₹70,000 and his wife, Urmila Singh, also has a revolver costing ₹1 lakh and a double-barrel gun worth ₹15,000.

Likewise, Congress candidate from Rampur Khas and CLP leader Aradhana Mishra “Mona” owns a pistol worth ₹1.5 lakh even as her husband Ambika Mishra also owns a pistol worth ₹1 lakh along with a rifle worth ₹30,000.

In Kaushambi, BJP candidate and deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, in the race from Sirathu seat, has a revolver worth ₹75,000 along with a rifle costing ₹80,000 while his wife Rajkumari Devi owns a repeater rifle worth ₹85,000

SP candidate from Chail Pooja pal has a one revolver worth ₹64,000, a rifle worth ₹55,000 and a double-barrel rifle worth ₹20,000, even as her husband Brijesh Verma also owns a .32 Bore pistol worth ₹75,000.