Virendra Pratap Shahi

Virendra Pratap Shahi was an Indian gangster turned politician from Uttar Pradesh. He served as the Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Nautanwa Assembly constituency of Uttar Pradesh from June 1980 to March 1985 and again from March 1985 to November 1989. He was a notorious gangster in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, known for his involvement in the gang war between him and Hari Shankar Tiwari, another gangster-turned-politician. The two warlords were involved in approximately 50 murders, and their gang war became a folklore in the Purvanchal region, earning it the sobriquet of Chicago of the East and Slice of Sicily. He was shot dead in 1997 by a gangster Sri Prakash Shukla.

He was known for his manipulative skills and his ability to win government contracts and influence people. In 1980, he contested the assembly elected from the Laxmipur assembly constituency of Maharajganj district as an Independent candidate and won the election against Amarmani Tripathi, a close aide of Hari Shankar Tiwari.

The gang war between Shahi and Tiwari originated before the Emergency period. Tiwari was involved in student politics, while Shahi maintained close ties with Ram Kinkar Singh, a former MLA of Basti. He was living in Basti.

In early 1997, he was shot dead in Lucknow by Sriprakash Shukla, a rising gangster who was seeking to establish his dominance over the underworld. After his death, Shahi's aides and supporters continued the battle, which led more killings and violence.

Virendra Pratap Shahi had over 63 pending criminal charges, including several for murder. Initially, he was a member of the Rashtriya Sanjay Manch before later joining the Janata Dal.