Yasar Shah

Yasar Shah
MLA, Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh
In office
8 March 2012 – 10 March 2022
Preceded byConstituency created
Succeeded byMariya Shah
ConstituencyMatera
Minister of State (Independent Charge), Energy
In office
October 2015 – September 2016
Minister of Transport (Independent Charge)
In office
September 2016 – March 2017
Personal details
Born (1977-05-22) 22 May 1977
Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, India
CitizenshipIndian
Political partySamajwadi Party
Spouse
​
(m. 2015)​
Children1 son and 2 daughters
Parent(s)Waqar Ahmad Shah
Rubab Sayda
Residence(s)Kazipura, Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, India
Alma materAligarh Muslim University
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University (MBA, 2002)
OccupationPolitician
ProfessionPolitician
WebsiteOfficial website

Yasar Shah (born 22 May 1977) is an Indian politician and a former cabinet minister in the Government of Uttar Pradesh. He represented the Matera constituency in both the 16th Uttar Pradesh Assembly (2012–2017) and the 17th Uttar Pradesh Assembly (2017–2022) as a member of the Samajwadi Party. He is the son of late cabinet minister Waqar Ahmad Shah and former MP Rubab Sayda.[1]

Early life, family and education

Yasar Shah was born on 22 May 1977 in Kazipura, Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh. His father, Waqar Ahmad Shah, was a senior Samajwadi Party leader, five-time MLA, former Deputy Speaker, and a state minister. He died in April 2018 after prolonged illness.[2][3] His mother, Rubab Sayda, served as Member of Parliament from Bahraich.[1]

He completed his intermediate studies from Seventh-Day Adventist Inter College in Bahraich, pursued undergraduate studies at Aligarh Muslim University, and earned an MBA degree in 2002 from Babu Banarasi Das Institute, affiliated with Lucknow Technical University (now Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University).[4][5][1][6][7][8]

Political career

Shah began his political journey in 2005 when he won the Bahraich district panchayat election with the highest number of votes. In 2012, he was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly from the newly created Matera constituency as a Samajwadi Party candidate, defeating Indian National Congress’s Ali Akabar by a margin of 2,801 votes.[9][6]

In 2013, he was nominated to contest the Shravasti Lok Sabha seat by the Samajwadi Party.[10]

He was re-elected from Matera in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election in a closely contested race, defeating Bharatiya Janata Party's Arun Veer Singh by a margin of 1,595 votes. Shah received 79,188 votes (40.0%), while Singh got 77,593 votes (39.2%). Bahujan Samaj Party’s Sultan Ahmad Khan secured 33,482 votes (16.9%). Together, the top three candidates accounted for 96.1% of the total votes.[9][7]

In 2012, he had declared assets worth ₹1.31 crore and one criminal case.[6] By 2017, his declared assets rose to over ₹7.16 crore, with no criminal cases.[7] By 2022, he declared assets worth more than ₹13.35 crore.[7]

Following his father’s critical illness, Shah was inducted into the Uttar Pradesh cabinet in 2014 as Minister of State, replacing Waqar Ahmad Shah in the Labour Ministry.[11][12]

Later, in October 2015, he was promoted to Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Energy and subsequently became the Transport Minister (Independent Charge) in the Akhilesh Yadav cabinet.[13][14]

Legislative achievements

During his tenure as Energy and later Transport Minister, Shah oversaw multiple development projects, including the replacement of overhead power lines with underground lines in Bahraich, construction of a ₹20 crore trauma center, and establishment of 22 power substations.[15]

As Transport Minister, he implemented reforms in public transport, introducing Volvo and Scania buses on key intercity routes. He also initiated the renovation of bus terminals in Bahraich and Lucknow.[4]

Personal life

Shah married Mariya Shah on 14 July 2015. The couple has one son and two daughters.[16] He lists his profession as agriculturist and businessman.[7] He resides in Kazipura, Bahraich, near the India–Nepal border.[15]

He is often referred to as “Yasar Bhai” among locals and is known for his accessibility and involvement in local issues.[1]

Public statements and political views

Shah has voiced opposition to decisions by the state government that, according to him, negatively impact communal harmony, such as the denial of permission to the historic Ghazi Mian fair in Bahraich.[17]

In November 2017, during a municipal election campaign in Bahraich, Yasar Shah stated that the same city from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his parliamentary journey would also witness the political downfall of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He accused the BJP of promoting divisive politics and emphasized Bahraich's legacy of communal harmony.[18]

In February 2024, he criticized Samajwadi Party rebels who voted for BJP candidates in Rajya Sabha elections.[19]

In September 2024, Shah was granted interim protection from arrest by the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court in a case related to a fake social media post alleging a police recruitment exam paper leak. The FIR, registered on 22 August 2024 at Lucknow's Husainganj police station, accused several individuals of spreading misinformation and demanding money from candidates. The court observed that Shah’s involvement was limited to a single tweet, which may have been objectionable, but emphasized the constitutional protection of free expression. He was cautioned to exercise restraint in future social media activity.[20]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Noor, Junaid Ahmad (2019). Bahraich Ek Tarīkhi Sheher [Bahraich: A Historic City] (in Urdu). Vol. 1 (1st ed.). Bahraich, India: Junaid Ahmad Noor. pp. 203–204. ISBN 978-93-5351-047-3 – via Rekhta.
  2. ^ "पूर्व मंत्री डाक्टर वकार अहमद शाह का निधन" [Former minister Dr Waqar Ahmed Shah passed away]. Patrika (in Hindi). 15 April 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  3. ^ "पूर्व मंत्री वकार अहमद शाह का निधन" [Former minister Waqar Ahmed Shah passed away]. Navbharat Times (in Hindi). 16 April 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  4. ^ a b "भारत को इस *** पर गर्व है, मोहम्मद शमी की तस्वीर शेयर कर ये लिखने वाले अखिलेश के करीबी नेता कौन हैं?" [India is proud of this ***, who is the leader close to Akhilesh who wrote this after sharing the picture of Mohammed Shami?]. Navbharat Times. 24 September 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  5. ^ Chaudhary, Ram Baran (20 January 2022). "Matera Assembly Seat: सपा के यासर शाह हैं विधायक, पूर्व मंत्री लगा पाएंगे हैट्रिक?" [Matera Assembly Seat: SP's Yasar Shah is MLA, will the former minister be able to score a hat-trick?]. Aaj Tak. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  6. ^ a b c ADR. "Yasar Shah(Samajwadi Party(SP)):Constituency- MATERA (BAHRAICH ) - Affidavit Information of Candidate". myneta.info. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  7. ^ a b c d e ADR. "Yasar Shah(Samajwadi Party(SP)):Constituency- MATERA(BAHRAICH) - Affidavit Information of Candidate". myneta.info. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  8. ^ "Yasar Shah Affidavit" (PDF). myneta.info (in Hindi). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 March 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  9. ^ a b "Uttar Pradesh Election: Matera Assembly Constituency 2022". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  10. ^ "Jailed Kushwaha's wife gets SP ticket from Ghazipur". Hindustan Times. 9 October 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  11. ^ "UP: 3 Muslim ministers get Cabinet rank". The Indian Express. 25 January 2014. Archived from the original on 1 August 2025. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  12. ^ Khan, Atiq (23 May 2016). "Six U.P. Ministers get portfolios". The Hindu. Retrieved 2 August 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ "Energy Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Yasar Shah meeting with Shri Piyush Goyal". Ministry of Power, Government of India. Archived from the original on 9 April 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  14. ^ "यासर शाह को स्वतंत्र प्रभार मिलने पर खुशी की लहर". Jagran (in Hindi). 31 October 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  15. ^ a b Singh, Akansha (29 September 2016). "जानिये इस युवा कैबिनेट मंत्री की ख़ासियत, CM से लेकर हर आमजन क्यों करता है इन पर नाज" [Know the specialty of this young cabinet minister, why everyone from CM to common man is proud of him]. Rajasthan Patrika (in Hindi). Archived from the original on 24 January 2025. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  16. ^ "Members of Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly". uplegisassembly.gov.in. Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  17. ^ Rashid, Omar (4 May 2025). "Adityanath Govt Denies Permission to Age-Old Fair in Bahraich". The Wire. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  18. ^ Singh, Akansha (24 November 2017). "सपा के पूर्व कैबिनेट मंत्री यासर शाह ने दिया बयान, कहा – जहां से उठा था भाजपा का चेहरा वहीं से होगा उसका का ख़ात्मा" [Former SP cabinet minister Yasar Shah gave a statement, saying – BJP's face will end from the same place where it rose]. Patrika. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  19. ^ Pandey, Vebhav (28 February 2024). "सपा के बागी मनोज पांडेय और अभय सिंह पर चुन-चुनकर बोला हमला, जानिए कौन हैं अखिलेश के करीबी ये पूर्व विधायक" [SP rebels Manoj Pandey and Abhay Singh were targeted selectively, know who these former MLAs are close to Akhilesh]. Navbharat Times (in Hindi). Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  20. ^ Tiwari, Mahendra (9 September 2024). "Bahraich News: हाई कोर्ट ने सपा नेता पूर्व मंत्री यासर शाह को दी चेतावनी, गिरफ्तारी पर लगाई रोक" [High Court warns SP leader and former minister Yasar Shah, bans his arrest]. Patrika (in Hindi). Retrieved 3 August 2025.
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