My 19 years’ struggle has finally borne fruit: Pooja Pal

Truth can never be defeated, said Pooja Pal, the Samajwadi Party MLA from Kaushambi’s Chayal, soon after a special CBI court in Lucknow on Friday handed life term to six accused and four-year jail to another accused in the killing of her husband and former Bahujan Samaj Party MLA Raju Pal in 2005.

The accused also included Atiq’s three sharp shooters Farhan, Abid and Abdul Kavi. Slain gangsters Atiq Ahmad and his brother Khalid Azeem ‘Ashraf’ were also accused in the sensational murder case. “We have got justice today. I respect the court’s decision. The struggle that has been going on for 19 years has finally borne fruit,” she said.

Pooja Pal said she had to fight a long battle for justice but she fought it with determination. This fight was not just for me but was for every person of Prayagraj and Allahabad West assembly constituency area of Sangam city as they were also oppressed and harassed by Atiq Ahmad and his henchmen, she added.

Pooja Pal came into limelight after her husband was gunned down in broad daylight in Sulemsarai area of Sangam city on January 2005. Pooja Pal contested the 2005 bypolls on a BSP ticket but lost to Atiq Ahmad’s brother Khalid Azeem aka Ashraf from Allahabad West assembly seat.

However, she defeated Ashraf in the 2007 state assembly elections. She retained the seat in 2012 assembly polls defeating former MP Atiq Ahmad himself. However, in an interesting contest against BJP’s Sidharth Nath Singh she lost the 2017 assembly polls and stood third.

She joined the Samajwadi Party in 2019. In 2022 assembly polls, she contested from Kaushambi’s Chail seat as SP and Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) candidate and emerged victorious defeating BJP-Apna Dal (S) alliance candidate Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel. Pooja Pal was among the seven SP MLAs who cross-voted in favour of the BJP in the February 27 Rajya Sabha polls.