Prajapati’s roller coaster ride to infamy

From a small-time mining contractor to a cabinet minister in Akhilesh Yadav’s government in Uttar Pradesh to his arrest in Lucknow on Wednesday, it has been roller coaster ride for Gayatri Prasad Prajapati.

Prajapati, who was cabinet minister for transport in the outgoing SP government, is the prime accused in the gang rape case lodged with Lucknow’s Gautampalli police station on February 18 by a woman from Chitrakoot.

Prajapati, 49, shot to limelight for the first time in 2012 when he defeated Congress’ Amita Singh, wife of senior Congress leader Sanjay Singh from Amethi, the Gandhi family stronghold. He lost the just-concluded assembly election to BJP’s Garima Singh.

He contested election for the first time in 1996 on Bahujan Kranti Dal ticket and lost. He also lost twice more in 2002 and 2007 from Amethi on SP ticket.

Despite his losses, his clout within the party continued to grow. In the years that followed, Prajapati’s influence kept growing, so did the controversies.

“Many factors were in his favour. He is close to netaji (Mulayam), he has money and because of his utility as a most backward classes face. Over the years he also developed closeness to Mulayam’s step-son Prateek Yadav,” said an SP leader.

For the SP, Prajapati was a face of extremely backward communities. Mulayam entrusted him the task of mobilising members of most backward community (MBC) particularly of the 17 communities that were striving for inclusion.

“It was the patronage of Mulayam Singh Yadav that helped him survive in the state cabinet. He has obliged many SP leaders and MLAs with mining ‘patta’ (contract),” a leader said.

An arts graduate from Ram Manohar Lohia Awadh University, Prajapati declared his profession as a property dealer in his last election affidavit.