Sanjeev Maheshwari was shot dead on Wednesday in the premises of the Lucknow court… After this incident, the name of Brahmadutt Dwivedi has again come into the limelight. Dwivedi was one of the tallest leaders of UP BJP. He had a good rapport with former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Brahmadutt, who defended BSP supremo Mayawati in Lucknow’s infamous ‘guesthouse’ incident in 1995, was a poet and a gentleman. He has also once been a contender for the chair of the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Gangster Mukhtar Ansari’s associate gangster Sanjeev Maheshwari Jeeva killed him in 1997
In 2017, the Lucknow bench upheld the trial court’s decision
Brahmadutt Dwivedi, the then BJP MLA from Farrukhabad, was murdered on February 10, 1997. At that time he was sitting in his car on his way home after attending a Tilak ceremony. His gunner BK Tiwari was also killed in the attack, while his driver was injured. On July 17, 2003, the CBI court in Lucknow sentenced Maheshwari and former SP MLA Vijay Singh to life imprisonment in the case. Both the convicts challenged the verdict in the High Court. In 2017, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court upheld the trial court’s decision.
Dwivedi was a strong leader of UP politics and had good relations with the top leadership of BJP. After his assassination, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi went to Farrukhabad to pay homage to him. The then Governor Romesh Bhandari and SP President Mulayam Singh Yadav had also visited.
Became municipal councilor in Farrukhabad Municipal Council in 1971
As a lifelong RSS worker, Dwivedi also attended the Sangh’s training program in Nagpur. He was also associated with the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. He started his electoral career with the Jana Sangh and became a municipal councilor in the Farrukhabad Municipal Council in 1971. Later he was elected as the Vice President of the same Municipal Board.
Elected as MLA from Farrukhabad as Janata Party candidate in 1977
Dwivedi was first elected as an MLA from Farrukhabad in 1977 as a Janata Party candidate. He was elected MLA more than three times and also served as Minister of Revenue and Energy in the Kalyan Singh government (1991–92). In June 1995, Mayawati decided to step down from the SP-BSP coalition government that had been in power since December 1993. On this the guesthouse where she was staying was gheraoed. Mayawati locked the door from inside, SP workers kept roaming outside.
This is how Dwivedi approached Vajpayee
Dwivedi, the then BJP MLA from Farrukhabad, was staying in the adjacent building. He reached there to protect the BSP supremo. Soon after the incident, Dwivedi contacted Vajpayee, on whose advice the BJP escorted Mayawati to the Governor’s House and extended support to her party. The next morning he took oath as CM.
Also inducted as a minister in the Kalyan Singh government
After that incident Mayawati gave a lot of respect to Dwivedi and once also said that if BSP forms a coalition government with BJP in UP then there will be someone from BJP as Chief Minister, she will accept only Dwivedi. According to a report in the Indian Express, Prabha, wife of Brahmdutt Dwivedi, was elected MLA from Farrukhabad in the by-election held after his murder. He was also inducted as a minister in the Kalyan Singh government.
Presently Dwivedi’s son Major Sunil Dutt Dwivedi is the MLA for the second time from Farrukhabad. Sunil’s cousin Pranshu Dutt Dwivedi is the UP President of BJP Yuva Morcha and MLC from Farrukhabad-Etawah local body area.
Dwivedi’s nephew Sudhanshu Dutt Dwivedi, who is fighting a legal battle over his murder, said his uncle was also a lawyer who appeared in court for senior BJP leaders including Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti in a case related to the Babri Masjid Were.
