Lucknow, Aug 1(IANS) Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader and parliamentarian Akbar Ahmed Dumpy Friday met expelled Samajwadi Party MP Afzal Ansari in the Ghazipur district jail in Uttar Pradesh where the latter is lodged on murder charges. Ansari was recently expelled from the Samajwadi Party for voting against the United Progressive Alliance government during the trust vote over the India-US civilian nuclear deal.

Two other prominent BSP legislators of the region, Raj Kumar Singh and Saleem Siddiqui, also accompanied Dumpy. The meeting lasted for about two hours, official sources said.

The BSP leaders refused to comment on the motive behind the visit.

“It was a personal visit and we would not like to speak about it,” Dumpy told reporters after coming out of the jail.

Dumpy had visited Ansari July 17 just before the trust vote. Ansari is said to be negotiating a BSP ticket for the next Lok Sabha elections.

Afzal’s brother, Muktar Ansari, an underworld don-turned-independent legislator from Mau, is also lodged in the jail on murder charges.

Both are accused of killing Bharatiya Janata Party (JBP) legislator Krishnan Rai.