Vijay Mishra (politician)

Vijay Kumar Mishra is an Indian politician who, as of 2017, represents the Gyanpur constituency in the Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh. As a member of the Nishad party, he won the seat in the 2017 state assembly elections. In March 2018, he was expelled from that party, despite being its only Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), when he supported a candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in elections to the Rajya Sabha. The party allied with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and had ordered him to support the BSP candidate, Bhim Rao Ambedkar. Mishra is currently contesting assembly elections of 2022 from Gyanpur constituency, he is holding election symbol "Helicopter" high to register his victory in 2022 elections. Notable point is Vijay Mishra is contesting from Pragatisheel Manav Samaj Party in 2022 assembly elections. But he lost this election badly, he remained in third position. Mishra is being detained by UP Police under charges of extortion and land-grabbing and trespassing. Mishra had been a member of the Samajwadi Party (SP), for whom he successfully contested in the 2002, 2007 and 2012 assembly elections. Described in 2007 by the Hindustan Times as a "mafia", he had at that time over 30 pending criminal cases lodged against him. He contested the 2012 election while in jail in relation to an alleged involvement in the 2010 bomb attack on Nand Gopal Gupta, who was minister of state at that time (2010) and was chosen as cabinet minister in Yogi Adityanath's government.. Denying the charges as being politically motivated, he was released on bail later in the year, by which time 62 criminal cases were recorded against him. His family had anticipated his release would occur if the SP were returned to government.