Dhananjay Singh Chandel is the quintessential Purvanchal bahubali who transformed from a student leader at TD College Jaunpur to a two-time MLA and one-time MP. Born on 16 July 1975 in Bansafa village, Jaunpur, into a respected Chandel Thakur family of teacher Rajdeva Singh Chandel, his life reads like a crime-political thriller. Declared dead in a 1998 Bhadohi fake encounter, he reappeared alive four months later, surrendered in court and became a folk hero. Starting as an Independent MLA from Rari in 2002, he won again on JD(U) ticket in 2007 and stormed Jaunpur Lok Sabha on BSP ticket in 2009 with 302,618 votes. Despite three marriages, conviction in a 2024 kidnapping case, 23 crore assets and 41 criminal cases, his grip on Malhani-Rari remains intact.
Uday Early Life and Family Tree
1 Dhananjay Singh was born on 16 July 1975 in Bansafa, Jaunpur district, Uttar Pradesh, into a Chandel clan which is considered an elite Kshatriya lineage tracing roots to Bundelkhand kings. His father Rajdeva Singh Chandel was a government school teacher known for discipline, while his grandfather had participated in freedom struggle activities. Growing up listening to panchayat justice in his courtyard planted early leadership instincts.
2 His mother Girija Devi is a homemaker deeply religious, who recited tales of Maharana Pratap and Chanakya to young Dhananjay. He has two brothers and one sister, but he is the most prominent. The Chandels dominate Rari, Malhani, Kerakat belts with around 35,000 Thakur votes, giving him a natural vote bank from childhood. Family’s economy relied on farming, brick kilns later diversified into colleges and real estate.
Para 3: He completed intermediate at Tilak Dhari College, Jaunpur, where he contested student union elections and opposed Mandal Commission recommendation in 1990, mobilizing upper caste youth. Later he moved to University of Lucknow for graduation and post-graduation in political science. Hostel life exposed him to OBC and Dalit politics and helped him understand caste arithmetic that later helped him stitch Thakur-Dalit alliance for BSP.
4 Family tree analysis shows his uncle Ravindra Singh remained gram pradhan for 15 years, controlling local contracts. His third wife Srikala Reddy hails from influential Telangana Reddy family, was a BJP politician, and in July 2021 won Jaunpur Zila Panchayat chairperson election by securing 43 out of 83 votes, even while Dhananjay was in jail, showcasing family organizational skills.
5 First marriage with Meenu Singh on 12 December 2006 ended tragically on 12 September 2007 when she was found dead in Gomti Nagar residence. Police termed it suicide by poison, but her paternal family alleged dowry harassment. The case was closed in 2010 but opposition still raises it every election. Second wife Dr. Jagriti Singh, a doctor, married him in presence of Mayawati in 2009, later separated.
6 Asset profile according to MyNeta 2022 affidavit: total assets Rs 23.39 crore including agricultural land in Jaunpur-Sultanpur road, nursing college, two flats in Lucknow, 45 lakh gold, licensed rifles, two luxury SUVs. Liabilities Rs 6.78 lakh. Source of income declared as agriculture, business and salary. In 2009 assets were only Rs 43 lakh, indicating massive growth during political career.
7 Lifestyle is austere yet powerful. Wakes at 5 am, does wrestling exercises in akhara, then holds janta darbar at farmhouse where land disputes and police matters are heard. People address him as Raja Saheb or Bhaiya Ji. Signature white kurta, prominent mustache, white Scorpio. Less active on Instagram but controls 200 WhatsApp groups village-wise, ensuring last-mile connectivity.
8 In education philanthropy he supported establishment of an inter-college and nursing college at Bansafa, organizes annual bhandara on Thakur Jayanti and wrestling tournaments. His image combines feudal lord and modern strategist, able to attract Brahmin votes (22% support) and also penetrate Yadav pockets. That is why every party from JD(U) to BSP used him.
9 Despite matrimonial turbulence, he projected family as political shield. Father’s teacher honesty image is used in campaigns, while wife Srikala’s administrative experience in Zila Panchayat is projected as development proof. Son’s name is kept private but insiders say he wants to launch son within five years and himself shift to state level minister or organization role.
Para 10: Overall his rise is a mix of survival and legacy. The 1998 fake encounter where police claimed they killed him during petrol pump dacoity in Bhadohi and published obituary, but he appeared alive four months later leading to case against 34 policemen, turned him into anti-system hero. This legend still helps him survive political waves from SP-BSP era to BJP dominance since 2017.
Rajneeti – Political Journey with ECI Data
2002 Rari Assembly: First election as Independent. Total electors 2.61 lakh, turnout 62.3%. Dhananjay secured 58,427 votes (38.4%), SP’s Shriram Yadav 44,112 (29%). Winning margin 14,315. He campaigned on bicycle using TD College network, focusing on Thakur-Brahmin consolidation against SP’s Yadav-Muslim formula. It shocked political analysts who had predicted SP sweep.
2007 Rari/Malhani Assembly: Second term on JD(U) ticket after Nitish Kumar wanted footprint in UP. Electors 2.84 lakh, turnout 61.8%. He polled 72,904 votes (42.1%) against SP’s Shyam Bahadur Yadav 51,203 (29.5%). Margin 21,701. Despite Mayawati wave, he retained seat due to caste arithmetic. JD(U) opened account in UP thanks to this victory, giving Nitish a face outside Bihar.
2009 Jaunpur Lok Sabha: Career best. Contested on BSP symbol. Total electors 16.2 lakh, turnout 47.2%. Dhananjay got 302,618 votes (39.61%), SP veteran Parasnath Yadav 222,267 (29.10%), BJP’s Shankatha Prasad 82,014 (10.7%). Victory margin 80,351 votes (10.51%). BSP’s social engineering of Chandel Thakur + Dalit worked perfectly, making him MP at age 33 with only Rs 43 lakh assets declared.
2004 Jaunpur Lok Sabha First Attempt: Fought on Lok Janshakti Party ticket. Turnout 48.1%. He polled 1,17,234 votes (12.3%), SP’s Parasnath Yadav 2,41,112 (25.3%) and BSP’s Ajay Dubey 2,10,412 (22.1%). Finished third but established himself as emerging Thakur face. This performance convinced BSP to give him ticket in 2009 despite criminal background.
2014 Jaunpur Lok Sabha: Lost badly as Independent after BSP denied ticket due to double murder case. Turnout surged to 59.4% due to Modi wave. Dhananjay got only 67,412 votes (6.8%), BJP’s Krishna Pratap Singh 367,149 (37.1%), SP’s Parasnath Yadav 280,302 (28.3%). Finished third, vote share collapsed by 32.8%. Assets shown Rs 4.34 crore, cases 4. It proved bahubalis suffer in wave elections.
2017 Malhani Assembly: Fought on JD(U) ticket in triangular contest. Turnout 61.2%. Polled 58,102 votes (30.4%), SP’s Parasnath Yadav 72,336 (37.8%), Nishad Party candidate 24,112 (12.6%). Lost by 14,234 votes. Post-demonetization cash crunch hurt his contractor network, while Yadav-Muslim polarization post-BJP victory hurt upper caste independents. Affidavit showed 23.07 crore assets, 7 cases.
2022 Malhani Assembly: Most talked loss. JD(U) vs SP’s Lucky Yadav, son of deceased Parasnath Yadav. Turnout 60.9%. Dhananjay 76,392 votes (38.2%), Lucky Yadav 93,919 votes (47.0%), margin 17,527. BJP did not field strong candidate, tacit understanding rumors. Sympathy wave for Parasnath’s death helped Lucky. Dhananjay was booked for 2021 Ajit Singh murder, which dominated campaign debates.
2021 Zila Panchayat Chairperson Indirect Election: Did not contest directly but engineered wife Srikala Reddy’s win. Out of 83 members, 43 voted for Srikala, BJP-backed candidate 38, 2 invalid. Turnout 98%. Victory despite being in jail displayed his hold over independent members through land and contract patronage. It revived his network in Malhani-Mariahu and served as base for 2022 assembly attempt.
Vivad – 7 Controversies
Controversy 1 – Fake Encounter 1998: Bhadohi police claimed Dhananjay killed during petrol pump robbery encounter. Obituaries printed. In February 1999 he appeared alive and surrendered before Jaunpur court. Inquiry filed cases against 34 police officials for murder and evidence destruction. Media labeled him ‘Criminal who came back from dead’ and it became his legend.
Controversy 2 – First Wife Meenu Death 2007: Meenu Singh found dead within ten months of marriage at Lucknow residence. Family claimed suicide, in-laws alleged dowry murder. Postmortem indicated poisoning. Case closed in 2010 but remains election ammunition for opponents, who question his personal conduct during public meetings.
Controversy 3 – Ajit Singh Murder 2021: Former block pramukh Ajit Singh shot dead in Vibhuti Khand, Lucknow. CCTV identified shooters linked to Dhananjay. Police added conspiracy angle. Dhananjay denied involvement calling it political vendetta by opponents to block his 2022 ticket. Chargesheet filed in 2025 still pending trial in MP-MLA court.
Controversy 4 – Kidnapping and Extortion 2020-2024: Manager of ball factory Abhinav Singhal alleged Dhananjay demanded Rs 5 crore ransom and kidnapped him. Arrested May 2020. MP-MLA court of ADJ Sharad Tripathi sentenced 7 years imprisonment on 6 March 2024. Allahabad High Court granted bail in April 2024 but conviction continues, barring him from contesting 2024 Lok Sabha.
Controversy 5 – Gangster Act History: Between 1996-2013 booked four times under UP Gangster Act. Police alleged he runs Chandel gang involved in PWD contracts and land grabbing. Total 41 criminal cases recorded, 10 pending, others acquitted due to witnesses turning hostile. He argues cases are politically motivated after opposing Mandal politics.
Controversy 6 – Asset Jump and Dual Voter ID: Assets grew from 43 lakh in 2009 to 23 crore in 2022. Income Tax raid in 2015 allegedly seized 2.5 crore cash and property documents. Opposition accused him of having voter IDs at two addresses – Rari and Lucknow. EC issued notice, he called it clerical error and merged IDs.
Controversy 7 – Jail Audio Leak 2022: Audio clip went viral where alleged voice of Dhananjay threatened contractor from inside Jaunpur district jail saying ‘If you want to work in Malhani, meet me’. Jail administration ordered probe, forensic report inconclusive due to poor quality, but case of violation of jail manual and MCC registered.
Vartaman – Current Status and 2027 Scenarios
Presently after bail in 2025, Dhananjay Singh is active from his Bansafa farmhouse, conducting daily janta darbar, influencing Zila Panchayat development funds through wife Srikala Reddy who is chairperson. He holds advisory role in JD(U) Uttar Pradesh unit, where Nitish Kumar values his Thakur connect. Caste survey suggests he commands 68% Thakur support and 22% Brahmin support in Malhani, while Yadav support is only 8%. BJP and SP both tacitly court him because 45,000 Thakur votes are decisive in Malhani-Jaunpur in high turnout scenario.
Scenario 1 – JD(U)-BJP Alliance Return: If Nitish remains in NDA in 2026 and BJP allots 8-10 seats to JD(U) in UP as part of larger Bihar-UP deal, Malhani will go to Dhananjay as strongest candidate. BJP needs Thakur face in Jaunpur after KP Singh’s poor performance, and Dhananjay victory will consolidate Rajput votes in Purvanchal. He could become MLC or minister in such arrangement, with cases managed through central leverage.
Scenario 2 – Return to Samajwadi Party: Akhilesh Yadav hinted in 2023 to bring back old socialists. If Lucky Yadav underperforms and Malhani needs strong Thakur-Yadav-Muslim combo, SP could induct Dhananjay. This would create formidable arithmetic (Yadav 35k + Muslim 28k + Thakur 25k). Hurdle is opposition from SP youth wing citing Ajit Singh case and family feud with Yadav family.
Scenario 3 – Independent Bahubali Model and Son Launch: If conviction disqualifies him personally, he will field wife Srikala or son from Malhani as Independent, using his 300 bigha land network and contractor ecosystem to win. In this model he becomes kingmaker, bargaining minister berth after 2027 for his camp. Stated goal for next five years is to establish his son/daughter/nephew in politics and himself secure bigger role at state level as minister or organization boss.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Who is Dhananjay Singh and what is his caste?
A: Dhananjay Singh Chandel is a Thakur/Rajput leader from Jaunpur, ex-MP and two-time MLA, now associated with Janata Dal (United). Born 16 July 1975 in Bansafa village, he belongs to elite Chandel clan dominating Rari-Malhani belt.
Q2: What is his total assets?
A: As per MyNeta affidavit 2022, his total assets are Rs 23.39 crore including farmland, college building, Lucknow flats and gold. In 2009 it was Rs 43 lakh, showing exponential growth during political career.
Q3: How many criminal cases?
A: He has 41 criminal cases on record, 10 pending. Includes 4 Gangster Act cases, kidnapping-extortion case leading to 7-year conviction in 2024, and conspiracy in Ajit Singh murder 2021. He claims political vendetta.
Q4: Who is his wife?
A: Present wife is Srikala Reddy from Telangana Reddy family, a BJP politician who won Jaunpur Zila Panchayat chairperson in 2021. Earlier married to Meenu Singh (died 2007) and Dr. Jagriti Singh (separated 2017).
Q5: What is his plan for 2027?
A: For 2027 Assembly, he eyes Malhani seat via JD(U)-BJP alliance or return to SP. If disqualified due to conviction, he will launch his wife or son as Independent and act as kingmaker, aiming for state-level minister role.
