Atiq Ahmed can frequently be seen posing in front of his white Hummer in Lucknow. The car, reportedly worth about 70 lakhs, has a poster of the politician and his name. In the front, it carries a miniature version of his party's flag. "I must say I am not in the Samajwadi Party because of any compulsions. It's just that I love the ideology of the party," said Mr Ahmed to NDTV, leaning against his Hummer as casually as the situation allows.
Mr Ahmed has collected a lot of mileage when it comes to criminal cases. He is named in about 40 cases ranging from murder to kidnapping. His making it to the list of Samajwadi Party candidates for next month's election in Uttar Pradesh was a contributing factor to the chasm that has placed party patriarch Mulayam Singh and his son, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, on opposite sides.
Samajwadi Party leader Atiq Ahmed has many SUVs including a Hummer
It's safe to say that Mr Ahmed has a bit of a thing for cars, especially SUVs. Three weeks ago, 50 of them including his Hummer were allowed through a toll plaza near Allahabad without being charged any tax.
His car fetish is not singular in the Samajwadi Party. Mulayam Singh and Akhilesh Yadav both use high-end Mercedes models. In Delhi earlier this month, the former was seen traveling in a Mercedes S-class sedan with five security men, including 4 elite commandos of the National Security Guard, running with the car.
Mulayam Singh Yadav's Mercedes S-class sedan.
The 43-year-old Chief Minister traverses Lucknow in his Mercedes GLE SUV worth a reported 2.5 crores because of its bullet-proofing and other special security features. But it is Akhilesh Yadav's step-brother, Prateek Yadav, a businessman with big real estate interests, who has bragging rights for the fanciest car of them all - a blue Lamborghini Huracan, estimated worth 4 crores.
It didn't leave him abashed. On Sunday night, Prateek Yadav posted a photo of his car with the hastagh Bluebolt on Instagram.
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