Ajay Mishra

He was born on September 25, 1960, in Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh. He holds BSc and LLB degrees from Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University's Christ Church College, Kanpur and DAV College, Kanpur, respectively.

He started his journey in politics from his college days, working as a BJP worker in the Terai region of Uttar Pradesh. He rose through the ranks of the party and eventually became a legislator in the state assembly. His debut in national politics took place in 2014 when he contested in the Lok Sabha elections from the Kheri seat and won. He retained the seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and was given the position of Minister of State.

However, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he suffered a huge upset as SP's Utkarsh Verma outvoted him by a small margin of 34,329 votes.

His political career has been surrounded by controversies. One of the most significant controversies involving him dates back to a murder case from 2000. At that time, Teni, who was a BJP worker in the Terai region of Uttar Pradesh, was accused of being involved in the murder of a leader. He was later acquitted in the case.

Another significant controversy is his alleged connection to an incident in Lakhimpur Kheri where a convoy associated with him was engaged in mowing down protesting farmers. The incident led to accusations against Teni's son, Ashish Mishra, who was named as an accused, along with several others.