Until June 2017, Samim Miya Ansari was the deputy general secretary of the Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal. The second phase of local level elections were set for June 28.

The RJP-Nepal, a Madhes-based party, had announced that it would boycott the local elections. Ten days before the polls, Ansari on June 18, 2017 joined the then opposition Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist).

After then UML and then Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) merged to form the Nepal Communist Party (NCP), Ansari became a central committee member. Ansari’s name was on top of the NCP’s list of proportional candidates under the Muslim category. But he couldn’t become a lawmaker as legal provisions forced the party to represent more women in the federal parliament.

Ansari’s name was barely heard in the public sphere.

In the third week of January, the Constitutional Council recommended him for the post of chairman of the Nepal Muslim Council, a constitutional body.

Days later, he was dragged into a controversy over alleged dubious credentials.

His recommendation was also contested by some saying that he was still an active member of a political party when he was recommended for the post, in violation of the rule.

Following complaints against him, the Parliamentary Hearing Committee also postponed the scheduled hearing.

Amid questions over Ansari’s credentials, however, the ruling party, or Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli for that matter, seems to be throwing its weight behind Ansari.

“I believe the party has honoured the contributions I made to the party during the elections,” Ansari told the Post. “I am sure I was able to pull votes from the Muslim community.”

When asked about his party membership, Ansari said he had “quit” the party two days before the Constitutional Council recommended him on January 20 for the post. According to the Muslim Commission Act-2018, one must not be a member of any party at the time of appointment to qualify for the post of a chairman or a member of the commission.

Born in Kathmandu, Ansari was a Karate athlete and is a member of the National Olympic Committee. He made his foray into Madhes politics from the then Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party following the second people’s movement of 2006. He soon became a central committee member and was promoted to the post of deputy general secretary. He retained the position in the Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal, which was formed after merger between six Madhes-based parties.

He said he joined the UML in 2017 on the condition that his “political dignity will get due respect” through the allocation of a dignified position.

“The Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal lacked vision. I decided to join the party as I found CPN Chair KP Sharma Oli as a visionary and patriotic leader,” Ansari further said.

He claimed that there were no problems in his citizenship certificates and academic credentials.

Regarding concerns that his date of birth in his citizenship certificate differed from the record at the District Administration Office, he said it was an error made by the officials. “The the administration office has cleared the issue,” he said. He also claimed that he had presented all the required academic documents to the Constitutional Council but it didn’t send them to the hearing committee, which created confusion.

Members of the hearing committee, however, did not appear convinced.

“We are yet to look into the details but preliminary investigation shows all is not well,” Shiva Kumar Mandal, a member of the hearing committee from the ruling communist party, told the Post. “We are free not to accept the recommendation even if our party leadership made the decision.”

The hearing committee is still looking into the four complaints filed against Ansari.