BJP looks to topple Azam Khan in his citadel but has its work cut out | Political Pulse News,The Indian Express
Ruling party receives former Congress MLA's support in Rampur Lok Sabha bypoll. But it still has to contend with the Azam factor.
For the June 23 Rampur Lok Sabha bypoll, the BJP is banking on the Yogi Adityanath government’s policies and development work. But it faces an uphill battle in a constituency that is considered the bastion of Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan. Though a former Congress MLA from Rampur is also backing the BJP candidate in the bypoll, which became necessary after Azam vacated the seat following his election to the UP Assembly in March, it may not be enough.
A senior SP leader said the party was sure that Azam would ensure a victory for 64-year-old Asim Raja who has been by his side through thick and thin for 45 years. In Rampur, Muslims play a vital role in deciding the winner and given past election results, Azam’s touch can prove to be the deciding factor.
“Rampur votes where Azam is. And after some speculation of a rift between him and Akhilesh ji (SP president Akhilesh Yadav) in the media, it has now become clear that Azam is still a staunch Samajwadi and that is enough for Asim Raja to win the seat. The Muslim population also has sympathy for Azam for being kept in jail for more than two years. People will vote for Azam, no matter who the candidate is,” said the leader.
Muslims constitute the largest group in Rampur at about 8.5 lakh. They are followed by Hindus at around 8.3 lakh, including around 1.5 lakh Dalits, Other Backward Class (OBC) groups such as Lodhis (1.25 lakh), Kurmis (75,000), Sainis (80,000), Pals (38,000), and Yadavs (45,000), and upper castes.
In 2019, Azam won the seat by securing 52.71 per cent of the votes while the BJP’s Jaya Prada, a two-time MP from the constituency when she was in the Opposition party, got 42.34 per cent of the votes. In the state elections earlier this year, the SP won three Assembly segments in Rampur while the BJP bagged two.
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