News Analysis India

Tag: Samajwadi Party

  • UP: Azam Khan booked for ‘unborn kids’ remarks at Rampur bypoll campaign

    By Online Desk

    RAMPUR: The Uttar Pradesh police on Friday booked Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan over an alleged offensive remark made while campaigning for the bypoll election for the Rampur seat in Uttar Pradesh. A probe has been launched too.

    A woman named Shehnaaz Begum submitted to the police an audio file of the public meeting at Shuta Khana.

    According to the complainant, Azam Khan had in the meeting said, “I was a minister in the last four terms of the SP government and if I would have used the power like this then unborn kids would ask their mothers if they had my permission to take birth.”

    Based on the woman’s complaint, the Ganj police have booked Khan under Section 394(b), 354 A, 353 (A), 504, 505 (2), 509 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 125 of the Representation of the People Act.

    Azam Khan allegedly made the statement while campaigning in support of the SP candidate Asim Raja in the upcoming bypolls of the Rampur Assembly Seat.

    Several women offended by Khan’s statement had lodged a complaint against him with the recorded audio, police said.

    ALSO READ | You will neither become CM, nor be able to make anyone CM: Keshav Maurya to Akhilesh Yadav

    SP chief Akhilesh Yadav who was campaigning along with Azam Khan said, “You get us this seat and you will see that in 2024, the BJP will not be able to save its government.

    ” “This election is not of Rampur alone.

    It is the election to bring the (SP) back in power (in future).

    This is the election for the injustices meted out to Azam Khan.

    “There is SP on one side and on the other side there are those who do injustice, humiliate and lodge fake cases,” he said.

    Rampur will go to polls on December 5 along with Mainpuri, a seat which fell vacant after SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav died on October 10.

    The Rampur Assembly seat had fell vacant after the Rampur District Court sentenced Azam Khan to three years in prison in a 2019 hate speech case over his comments against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. He was later granted bail and given a week’s time to appeal against the sentence.

    He eventually lost his Assembly membership since his prison term was longer than two years.

    Azam Khan began his political career by winning the 1980 assembly election on Janata Party (Secular) ticket from Rampur. He has served as a minister in both Akhilesh Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav governments.

    (With ANI inputs)

    RAMPUR: The Uttar Pradesh police on Friday booked Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan over an alleged offensive remark made while campaigning for the bypoll election for the Rampur seat in Uttar Pradesh. A probe has been launched too.

    A woman named Shehnaaz Begum submitted to the police an audio file of the public meeting at Shuta Khana.

    According to the complainant, Azam Khan had in the meeting said, “I was a minister in the last four terms of the SP government and if I would have used the power like this then unborn kids would ask their mothers if they had my permission to take birth.”

    Based on the woman’s complaint, the Ganj police have booked Khan under Section 394(b), 354 A, 353 (A), 504, 505 (2), 509 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 125 of the Representation of the People Act.

    Azam Khan allegedly made the statement while campaigning in support of the SP candidate Asim Raja in the upcoming bypolls of the Rampur Assembly Seat.

    Several women offended by Khan’s statement had lodged a complaint against him with the recorded audio, police said.

    ALSO READ | You will neither become CM, nor be able to make anyone CM: Keshav Maurya to Akhilesh Yadav

    SP chief Akhilesh Yadav who was campaigning along with Azam Khan said, “You get us this seat and you will see that in 2024, the BJP will not be able to save its government.

    ” “This election is not of Rampur alone.

    It is the election to bring the (SP) back in power (in future).

    This is the election for the injustices meted out to Azam Khan.

    “There is SP on one side and on the other side there are those who do injustice, humiliate and lodge fake cases,” he said.

    Rampur will go to polls on December 5 along with Mainpuri, a seat which fell vacant after SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav died on October 10.

    The Rampur Assembly seat had fell vacant after the Rampur District Court sentenced Azam Khan to three years in prison in a 2019 hate speech case over his comments against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. He was later granted bail and given a week’s time to appeal against the sentence.

    He eventually lost his Assembly membership since his prison term was longer than two years.

    Azam Khan began his political career by winning the 1980 assembly election on Janata Party (Secular) ticket from Rampur. He has served as a minister in both Akhilesh Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav governments.

    (With ANI inputs)

  • Hate Speech case: Azam Khan gets reprieve, Sessions Court grants bail

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: The Rampur Sessions Court, on Tuesday, brought about a big relief to senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, by granting him bail in the 2019 hate speech case in which was convicted and sentenced to a three-year jail term by the local MP/MLA court on October 26.

    Azam’s conviction in the case under Sections 153 A, 505A, and 125 of IPC, had led to his disqualification from the UP State Assembly resulting in the by-poll to Rampur (Sadar) Assembly seat which he has represented in the UP Assembly for nine times.

    Azam Khan, who has been out on interim bail granted to him by the Supreme Court in the case, had challenged his conviction and sentence in the sessions court of Rampur. The Supreme Court had granted him interim bail till November 16 and it was later extended till November 22.

    After his disqualification, the Rampur Sadar Assembly seat was declared vacant and bypoll on it will take place on December 5.

    Earlier on November 18, his name was deleted from the voter list in Rampur after a complaint filed by BJP by-poll candidate Akash Saxena. The decision was taken by Rampur Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) after the BJP filed an appeal to have Azam Khan’s name removed from the electoral roll, invoking provisions of the Representation of the People Acts (RPA) of 1950 and 1951.

    Khan, after an incarceration of 27 months in Sitapur jail, was released in May after the Supreme Court granted him interim bail in an alleged cheating case. The SP leader is facing 89 criminal cases, including corruption, intimidation, land grabbing and theft.

    Loyalists leave Azam, join saffron bandwagon

    However, while going through the roughest patch in his political and personal life, Azam Khan is facing the exodus of his loyalists from the party in Rampur ahead of bypoll.

    The first shock he received last week was when his close aide and media in-charge Fasahat Ali Khan Shanu left SP to join the saffron brigade. Shanu had once written a letter in his blood to the President of India mentioning how injustice was being meted out to the SP leader who had been fabricated in a series of cases.

    Shanu had also raised a banner of revolt against SP chief Akhilesh Yadav after the UP Assembly elections in 2022 accusing him of not doing much to help Azam Khan who was one of the founding members of the Samajwadi Party.

    Shanu has been followed by Azam’s two more loyalists – Moin Pathan and Asim Aijaz. Both Pathan and Aijaz left SP on Monday night and went on to announce their support for BJP’s by-poll candidate Akash Saxena.

    LUCKNOW: The Rampur Sessions Court, on Tuesday, brought about a big relief to senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, by granting him bail in the 2019 hate speech case in which was convicted and sentenced to a three-year jail term by the local MP/MLA court on October 26.

    Azam’s conviction in the case under Sections 153 A, 505A, and 125 of IPC, had led to his disqualification from the UP State Assembly resulting in the by-poll to Rampur (Sadar) Assembly seat which he has represented in the UP Assembly for nine times.

    Azam Khan, who has been out on interim bail granted to him by the Supreme Court in the case, had challenged his conviction and sentence in the sessions court of Rampur. The Supreme Court had granted him interim bail till November 16 and it was later extended till November 22.

    After his disqualification, the Rampur Sadar Assembly seat was declared vacant and bypoll on it will take place on December 5.

    Earlier on November 18, his name was deleted from the voter list in Rampur after a complaint filed by BJP by-poll candidate Akash Saxena. The decision was taken by Rampur Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) after the BJP filed an appeal to have Azam Khan’s name removed from the electoral roll, invoking provisions of the Representation of the People Acts (RPA) of 1950 and 1951.

    Khan, after an incarceration of 27 months in Sitapur jail, was released in May after the Supreme Court granted him interim bail in an alleged cheating case. The SP leader is facing 89 criminal cases, including corruption, intimidation, land grabbing and theft.

    Loyalists leave Azam, join saffron bandwagon

    However, while going through the roughest patch in his political and personal life, Azam Khan is facing the exodus of his loyalists from the party in Rampur ahead of bypoll.

    The first shock he received last week was when his close aide and media in-charge Fasahat Ali Khan Shanu left SP to join the saffron brigade. Shanu had once written a letter in his blood to the President of India mentioning how injustice was being meted out to the SP leader who had been fabricated in a series of cases.

    Shanu had also raised a banner of revolt against SP chief Akhilesh Yadav after the UP Assembly elections in 2022 accusing him of not doing much to help Azam Khan who was one of the founding members of the Samajwadi Party.

    Shanu has been followed by Azam’s two more loyalists – Moin Pathan and Asim Aijaz. Both Pathan and Aijaz left SP on Monday night and went on to announce their support for BJP’s by-poll candidate Akash Saxena.

  • Power games: The mysterious case of Mulayam family’s assets

    Express News Service

    Legal BattleThe mysterious case of Mulayam family’s assets

    A case of disproportionate assets filed in 2005 by Congress-linked lawyer Vishwanath Chaturvedi against Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, his sons Akhilesh and Prateek, and daughter-in-law Dimple Yadav has taken so many twists and turns and got linked to so many prominent personalities and events that a whole book could be written on it. The case is again coming up for hearing in the Supreme Court tomorrow. Chaturvedi’s petition had sought the prosecution of Mulayam and his family under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 for amassing assets more than their known source of income. The Supreme Court found merit in his complaint and ordered a CBI enquiry in 2007. The CBI started the enquiry. But in 2008, the then Congress-led UPA government reached the brink of collapse with the Left parties deciding to withdraw support on the issue of the nuclear deal with the US.

    The government survived with the one-time support of Mulayam’s 39 MPs. Not many were surprised when the CBI approached the SC the same year (2008) seeking to withdraw the case against Mulayam and family. Chaturvedi opposed the CBI move and the case continued. Meanwhile, Mulayam had filed a petition seeking review of the SC order that started the CBI probe. The court passed an order in 2012 on this review petition in which it dropped Dimple’s name but allowed the CBI to continue its investigation against the other three, namely, Mulayam, Akhilesh and Prateek Yadav. In 2013, the Congress-led Union government once again needed the support of Mulayam’s MPs to pass the National Food Security Bill.

    A public statement was made by the then CBI chief Ranjit Sinha that the agency was going to file a closure report in the SC in the Mulayam family assets case. The closure report reportedly never reached the court but reports started appearing in the media that the case was closed. Chaturvedi wrote to the CBI asking for a copy of the closure report. But he was never given one. The matter lingered and finally, in 2019, Chaturvedi once again approached the SC seeking direction to the CBI to provide him with the closure report. The court issued a notice to the agency. The CBI has reportedly informed the apex court that it has closed the case and given its report to the Central Vigilance Commission. Chaturvedi filed an RTI application with the CVC. The CVC replied saying it has received no closure report from the CBI in the said case. Armed with the CVC reply, Chaturvedi once again knocked at SC’s doors. The matter is scheduled for a hearing tomorrow.

    Party NotesKharge’s indecisiveness raises eyebrows in party

    Newly appointed Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s failure to act against indiscipline has raised many eyebrows within the party. Congress leaders were surprised by a public statement by their data analytics department chief Praveen Chakravarty against the party’s promise to bring back the old pension scheme. The two Congress-ruled states have implemented the scheme and it forms part of the party’s election manifesto in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat. The leadership’s silence led to media reports indicating division where none exists. Sources said party leaders expected the new president to put a lid on such reports and a word of caution for the functionary. Kharge has also come in for criticism for his inaction over the Rajasthan rebellion. The last major task he was given by the party to handle before his election was to oversee a transition in Rajasthan.

    The shoddy manner in which he and the other central representative, Ajay Maken, were treated by chief minister Ashok Gehlot and his loyalist ministers and MLAs is all part of well-recorded history. The humiliation suffered by the two was such that Kharge told the media that in his long career in the Congress, he had not seen such disregard for the party president’s wishes. The same loyalists of Gehlot who had kept the ministers and MLAs away from Kharge and Maken were given charge of handling the Rajasthan leg of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra. Kharge and Maken had recommended action against these leaders for revolting against the party leadership. But Kharge has not acted as a president on what he had recommended as a central emissary earlier. A miffed Maken has refused to work in Rajasthan.

    Legal Battle
    The mysterious case of Mulayam family’s assets

    A case of disproportionate assets filed in 2005 by Congress-linked lawyer Vishwanath Chaturvedi against Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, his sons Akhilesh and Prateek, and daughter-in-law Dimple Yadav has taken so many twists and turns and got linked to so many prominent personalities and events that a whole book could be written on it. The case is again coming up for hearing in the Supreme Court tomorrow. Chaturvedi’s petition had sought the prosecution of Mulayam and his family under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 for amassing assets more than their known source of income. The Supreme Court found merit in his complaint and ordered a CBI enquiry in 2007. The CBI started the enquiry. But in 2008, the then Congress-led UPA government reached the brink of collapse with the Left parties deciding to withdraw support on the issue of the nuclear deal with the US.

    The government survived with the one-time support of Mulayam’s 39 MPs. Not many were surprised when the CBI approached the SC the same year (2008) seeking to withdraw the case against Mulayam and family. Chaturvedi opposed the CBI move and the case continued. Meanwhile, Mulayam had filed a petition seeking review of the SC order that started the CBI probe. The court passed an order in 2012 on this review petition in which it dropped Dimple’s name but allowed the CBI to continue its investigation against the other three, namely, Mulayam, Akhilesh and Prateek Yadav. In 2013, the Congress-led Union government once again needed the support of Mulayam’s MPs to pass the National Food Security Bill.

    A public statement was made by the then CBI chief Ranjit Sinha that the agency was going to file a closure report in the SC in the Mulayam family assets case. The closure report reportedly never reached the court but reports started appearing in the media that the case was closed. Chaturvedi wrote to the CBI asking for a copy of the closure report. But he was never given one. The matter lingered and finally, in 2019, Chaturvedi once again approached the SC seeking direction to the CBI to provide him with the closure report. The court issued a notice to the agency. The CBI has reportedly informed the apex court that it has closed the case and given its report to the Central Vigilance Commission. Chaturvedi filed an RTI application with the CVC. The CVC replied saying it has received no closure report from the CBI in the said case. Armed with the CVC reply, Chaturvedi once again knocked at SC’s doors. The matter is scheduled for a hearing tomorrow.

    Party Notes
    Kharge’s indecisiveness raises eyebrows in party

    Newly appointed Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s failure to act against indiscipline has raised many eyebrows within the party. Congress leaders were surprised by a public statement by their data analytics department chief Praveen Chakravarty against the party’s promise to bring back the old pension scheme. The two Congress-ruled states have implemented the scheme and it forms part of the party’s election manifesto in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat. The leadership’s silence led to media reports indicating division where none exists. Sources said party leaders expected the new president to put a lid on such reports and a word of caution for the functionary. Kharge has also come in for criticism for his inaction over the Rajasthan rebellion. The last major task he was given by the party to handle before his election was to oversee a transition in Rajasthan.

    The shoddy manner in which he and the other central representative, Ajay Maken, were treated by chief minister Ashok Gehlot and his loyalist ministers and MLAs is all part of well-recorded history. The humiliation suffered by the two was such that Kharge told the media that in his long career in the Congress, he had not seen such disregard for the party president’s wishes. The same loyalists of Gehlot who had kept the ministers and MLAs away from Kharge and Maken were given charge of handling the Rajasthan leg of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra. Kharge and Maken had recommended action against these leaders for revolting against the party leadership. But Kharge has not acted as a president on what he had recommended as a central emissary earlier. A miffed Maken has refused to work in Rajasthan.

  • Mainpuri bypoll campaign: Akhilesh Yadav touches uncle Shivpal’s feet at election rally

    By PTI

    ETAWAH: In a show of bonhomie during the campaign for the Mainpuri Lok Sabha bypoll, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday touched the feet of his uncle Shivpal Yadav and asserted that there has never been any strain in their relationship.

    Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) chief Shivpal Singh Yadav termed the bypolls a high stake contest, and told the audience that the family has become one.

    He also said that the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government peddles a lot of lies.

    Addressing an election rally in the family bastion of Saifai, Akhilesh Yadav asserted that his party will register a historic win in the bypoll.

    Dimple Yadav, the wife of Akhilesh Yadav, has been fielded from the seat, which has been represented by the SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav.

    The bypoll was necessitated due to the death of Mulayam Singh last month.

    “The bypolls are taking place at a time when ‘Netaji’ (Mulayam Singh Yadav) is not among us. The entire country is watching this election, and I can say that the entire country will see how the Samajwadi Party registers a historic win,” Akhilesh Yadav said.

    After remaining at loggerheads since 2017, Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle had decided to mend fences before the 2022 Assembly polls.

    Both had put up a united front at the behest of Mulayam Singh Yadav.

    #WATCH | Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav meets PSP chief Shivpal Yadav, touches his feet atop the stage while campaigning for the byelections in Mainpuri, UP pic.twitter.com/c82LOivUqb
    — ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) November 20, 2022
    However, the cracks appeared again after the poll in which the BJP came back to power.

    “At times people say that there is ‘dooriyaan’ (distance). There was no ‘dooriyaan’ between ‘chacha’ (uncle) and ‘bhatija’ (nephew). ‘Dooriyaan’ was there in politics. I had never considered any ‘dooriyaan’ between uncle and nephew. And, I am happy that today the ‘dooriyaan’ in politics has also ended,” Akhilesh Yadav said to a rousing applause from public.

    “And it is because of this that the BJP is feeling frightened. It knows that the people of Jaswantnagar have made up their mind to vote for the SP. Karhal is also walking along, and the people of Mainpuri too have made up their mind ,” the SP chief said.

    Jaswantnagar and Karhal are represented by Shivpal and Akhilesh Yadav respectively in the UP assembly.

    The poll campaign on Sunday saw Akhilesh Yadav, Shivpal Yadav and SP general secretary Ramgopal Yadav sharing the stage.

    During the rally, Akhilesh Yadav also said that this is the first government (referring to the BJP), which has forgotten its promises.

    “When there is a strain in a relationship they say that there is a feud, and when we become one, they would term us as ‘parivaar vaadi’ party. This is the problem of the BJP people and it will remain, because everywhere they look out for shortcomings,” he said.

    “It is BJP propaganda that aims to show us as a party of one family, a party of one caste, and seek support of people of one particular religion. ‘Netaji’ has always taught us the politics of brotherhood and amity, and how to give respect to people,” Akhilesh Yadav said.

    The SP chief urged the party workers to walk on the path shown by his father, and change the course of the country and that of the society.

    “The BJP should not make any claims on development. They can make claims about potholes on the road or that of corruption,” he said, and added that whatever development has taken place in the region, it is because of the ‘Samajwadis.’

    He cited Uttar Pradesh University of Medical Sciences in Saifai as an example of such progress.

    “Had ‘Netaji’ not been adamant, the Lucknow-Agra expressway would not have been made in 23 months. This expressway was found to be the best expressway in the country. When he was invited for the foundation stone laying ceremony, he had said that he would lay the foundation stone only when he knew the date of inauguration. The day on which the foundation stone was laid was the birthday of ‘Netaji’, and the day when it was inaugurated was also his birthday,” the SP chief said.

    He also said that the ongoing bypolls are important as after the BJP’s defeat in Bengal and change in power equation in Bihar, it was UP’s turn to halt the victory run of BJP and prevent it from coming to power at the centre.

    Akhilesh Yadav said that in line with an advice given by Ramgopal Yadav — given earlier in the meeting, he said — the party has to take stock of the EVMs till the very end to prevent any malfeasance. “Because this government will not tell you where 20 lakh EVMs have disappeared. Last time you made us win the polls, but the administration defeated us. In the (postal) ballot, we won almost 300 seats.”

    Shivpal Singh Yadav said, “Reputation is at stake in this election. Dimple is our daughter-in-law. Everyone who is sitting here carries a part of ‘Netaji.’ This is a fight for honour, and all the records have to be made in this election itself. This is true that you have told us to unite, and we have become one. And now it is your responsibility to ensure a victory by record margin. Whenever such challenges have sprung before the people of Jaswantnagar, they have emerged victorious,” Shivpal Singh Yadav said.

    He also said that ever since the BJP came to power in UP, the problems of the people have only increased.

    “The BJP government peddles a lot of misinformation. We want to know that in the past 10 years, has it done any work for the people of UP?” he said.

    “BJP has encouraged poverty, unemployment, corruption. It has worked to disturb the people of the entire state. If the public has to go to any office, they have to pay a bribe,” he said.

    Akhilesh Yadav had on last Thursday met the PSPL chief along with Dimple Yadav, and shared a picture of them together.

    In a tweet after the meeting, Akhilesh Yadav had then said, “Along with the blessings of Netaji and elders of the family, the people of Mainpuri are also with us.”

    Exhorting the party workers to ensure the party’s win, Ramgopal Yadav said, “When you have defeated the BJP in the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat, then people will realise that the BJP too can be defeated, not only in Mainpuri, but also in the state and in the country.”

    “The country is being run by a dictatorial government. Everyone is tortured, and no one is getting any relief. Some people of the BJP were telling us yesterday that the work which used to cost Rs 100 in the earlier government, now costs at least Rs 1,000. There is loot in police stations and tehsil (offices),” he said.

    On Wednesday, Shivpal Yadav had held a meeting with the party workers for the bypoll.

    Shivpal Singh Yadav’s role in the election assumes importance as his assembly constituency Jaswantnagar comes under the Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency.

    He has a close relationship with the people of Mainpuri and used to go as Mulayam’s representative in various programmes there whenever the SP patriarch was unavailable.

    The PSP(L) chief’s campaigning in favour of Dimple is also considered important as Raghuraj Singh Shakya, BJP’s nominee from the seat, was once a close aide of him.

    Polling in Mainpuri will be held on December 5, while counting of votes will take place on December 8.

    The Mainpuri parliamentary constituency has five assembly segments of Mainpuri, Bhongaon, Kishni, Karhal and Jaswant Nagar.

    In the 2022 assembly elections, the SP won the Karhal, Kishni and the Jaswantnagar seats, while the BJP won the Mainpuri and the Bhogaon seats.

    Akhilesh’s Karhal assembly seat is also part of Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency.

    ETAWAH: In a show of bonhomie during the campaign for the Mainpuri Lok Sabha bypoll, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday touched the feet of his uncle Shivpal Yadav and asserted that there has never been any strain in their relationship.

    Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) chief Shivpal Singh Yadav termed the bypolls a high stake contest, and told the audience that the family has become one.

    He also said that the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government peddles a lot of lies.

    Addressing an election rally in the family bastion of Saifai, Akhilesh Yadav asserted that his party will register a historic win in the bypoll.

    Dimple Yadav, the wife of Akhilesh Yadav, has been fielded from the seat, which has been represented by the SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav.

    The bypoll was necessitated due to the death of Mulayam Singh last month.

    “The bypolls are taking place at a time when ‘Netaji’ (Mulayam Singh Yadav) is not among us. The entire country is watching this election, and I can say that the entire country will see how the Samajwadi Party registers a historic win,” Akhilesh Yadav said.

    After remaining at loggerheads since 2017, Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle had decided to mend fences before the 2022 Assembly polls.

    Both had put up a united front at the behest of Mulayam Singh Yadav.

    #WATCH | Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav meets PSP chief Shivpal Yadav, touches his feet atop the stage while campaigning for the byelections in Mainpuri, UP pic.twitter.com/c82LOivUqb
    — ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) November 20, 2022
    However, the cracks appeared again after the poll in which the BJP came back to power.

    “At times people say that there is ‘dooriyaan’ (distance). There was no ‘dooriyaan’ between ‘chacha’ (uncle) and ‘bhatija’ (nephew). ‘Dooriyaan’ was there in politics. I had never considered any ‘dooriyaan’ between uncle and nephew. And, I am happy that today the ‘dooriyaan’ in politics has also ended,” Akhilesh Yadav said to a rousing applause from public.

    “And it is because of this that the BJP is feeling frightened. It knows that the people of Jaswantnagar have made up their mind to vote for the SP. Karhal is also walking along, and the people of Mainpuri too have made up their mind ,” the SP chief said.

    Jaswantnagar and Karhal are represented by Shivpal and Akhilesh Yadav respectively in the UP assembly.

    The poll campaign on Sunday saw Akhilesh Yadav, Shivpal Yadav and SP general secretary Ramgopal Yadav sharing the stage.

    During the rally, Akhilesh Yadav also said that this is the first government (referring to the BJP), which has forgotten its promises.

    “When there is a strain in a relationship they say that there is a feud, and when we become one, they would term us as ‘parivaar vaadi’ party. This is the problem of the BJP people and it will remain, because everywhere they look out for shortcomings,” he said.

    “It is BJP propaganda that aims to show us as a party of one family, a party of one caste, and seek support of people of one particular religion. ‘Netaji’ has always taught us the politics of brotherhood and amity, and how to give respect to people,” Akhilesh Yadav said.

    The SP chief urged the party workers to walk on the path shown by his father, and change the course of the country and that of the society.

    “The BJP should not make any claims on development. They can make claims about potholes on the road or that of corruption,” he said, and added that whatever development has taken place in the region, it is because of the ‘Samajwadis.’

    He cited Uttar Pradesh University of Medical Sciences in Saifai as an example of such progress.

    “Had ‘Netaji’ not been adamant, the Lucknow-Agra expressway would not have been made in 23 months. This expressway was found to be the best expressway in the country. When he was invited for the foundation stone laying ceremony, he had said that he would lay the foundation stone only when he knew the date of inauguration. The day on which the foundation stone was laid was the birthday of ‘Netaji’, and the day when it was inaugurated was also his birthday,” the SP chief said.

    He also said that the ongoing bypolls are important as after the BJP’s defeat in Bengal and change in power equation in Bihar, it was UP’s turn to halt the victory run of BJP and prevent it from coming to power at the centre.

    Akhilesh Yadav said that in line with an advice given by Ramgopal Yadav — given earlier in the meeting, he said — the party has to take stock of the EVMs till the very end to prevent any malfeasance. “Because this government will not tell you where 20 lakh EVMs have disappeared. Last time you made us win the polls, but the administration defeated us. In the (postal) ballot, we won almost 300 seats.”

    Shivpal Singh Yadav said, “Reputation is at stake in this election. Dimple is our daughter-in-law. Everyone who is sitting here carries a part of ‘Netaji.’ This is a fight for honour, and all the records have to be made in this election itself. This is true that you have told us to unite, and we have become one. And now it is your responsibility to ensure a victory by record margin. Whenever such challenges have sprung before the people of Jaswantnagar, they have emerged victorious,” Shivpal Singh Yadav said.

    He also said that ever since the BJP came to power in UP, the problems of the people have only increased.

    “The BJP government peddles a lot of misinformation. We want to know that in the past 10 years, has it done any work for the people of UP?” he said.

    “BJP has encouraged poverty, unemployment, corruption. It has worked to disturb the people of the entire state. If the public has to go to any office, they have to pay a bribe,” he said.

    Akhilesh Yadav had on last Thursday met the PSPL chief along with Dimple Yadav, and shared a picture of them together.

    In a tweet after the meeting, Akhilesh Yadav had then said, “Along with the blessings of Netaji and elders of the family, the people of Mainpuri are also with us.”

    Exhorting the party workers to ensure the party’s win, Ramgopal Yadav said, “When you have defeated the BJP in the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat, then people will realise that the BJP too can be defeated, not only in Mainpuri, but also in the state and in the country.”

    “The country is being run by a dictatorial government. Everyone is tortured, and no one is getting any relief. Some people of the BJP were telling us yesterday that the work which used to cost Rs 100 in the earlier government, now costs at least Rs 1,000. There is loot in police stations and tehsil (offices),” he said.

    On Wednesday, Shivpal Yadav had held a meeting with the party workers for the bypoll.

    Shivpal Singh Yadav’s role in the election assumes importance as his assembly constituency Jaswantnagar comes under the Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency.

    He has a close relationship with the people of Mainpuri and used to go as Mulayam’s representative in various programmes there whenever the SP patriarch was unavailable.

    The PSP(L) chief’s campaigning in favour of Dimple is also considered important as Raghuraj Singh Shakya, BJP’s nominee from the seat, was once a close aide of him.

    Polling in Mainpuri will be held on December 5, while counting of votes will take place on December 8.

    The Mainpuri parliamentary constituency has five assembly segments of Mainpuri, Bhongaon, Kishni, Karhal and Jaswant Nagar.

    In the 2022 assembly elections, the SP won the Karhal, Kishni and the Jaswantnagar seats, while the BJP won the Mainpuri and the Bhogaon seats.

    Akhilesh’s Karhal assembly seat is also part of Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency.

  • Dimple Yadav files papers for Mainpuri seat

    By Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: Dimple Yadav, Samajwadi Party candidate for the upcoming bypoll to the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat, filed her nomination papers at Mainpuri district collectorate on Monday. She was accompanied by her husband and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav along with party’s Rajya Sabha member Ram Gopal Yadav, nephew Tej Pratap Singh Yadav and others. 

    SP chief put all the speculation of rift in the family to rest by saying that the family was united over Dimple’s candidature and everyone would campaign for her. The political circles were abuzz with the reported differences between uncle Shivpal and Akhilesh over choice of candidate for Mainpuri bypoll as Shivpal himself was reported to be in contention.

    The voting for the bypoll to Mainpuri, Rampur and Khatauli seats will take place on December 5 and Khatauli. The results will be announced on December 8.

    LUCKNOW: Dimple Yadav, Samajwadi Party candidate for the upcoming bypoll to the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat, filed her nomination papers at Mainpuri district collectorate on Monday. She was accompanied by her husband and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav along with party’s Rajya Sabha member Ram Gopal Yadav, nephew Tej Pratap Singh Yadav and others. 

    SP chief put all the speculation of rift in the family to rest by saying that the family was united over Dimple’s candidature and everyone would campaign for her. The political circles were abuzz with the reported differences between uncle Shivpal and Akhilesh over choice of candidate for Mainpuri bypoll as Shivpal himself was reported to be in contention.

    The voting for the bypoll to Mainpuri, Rampur and Khatauli seats will take place on December 5 and Khatauli. The results will be announced on December 8.

  • UP: Samajwadi Party’s Dimple Yadav files nomination for Mainpuri bypoll

    By PTI

    MAINPURI:  Samajwadi Party candidate for the Mainpuri Lok Sabha bypoll Dimple Yadav filed her nomination papers on Monday.

    SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and MP Ramgopal Yadav accompanied 44-year-old Dimple during the filing of nomination papers at the District Magistrate’s office here.

    Before submitting the papers, Dimple touched the feet of Ramgopal Yadav. Former MP from Mainpuri Tej Pratap and SP district president Alok Sakya were also accompanying them.

    The bypolls for the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat will be held on December 5 and the result will be declared on December 8.

    The Mainpuri parliamentary seat fell vacant following the demise of SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav on October 10.Dimple, a former MP from Kannauj, will seek to hold the party’s 26-year grip over the Mainpuri seat. The daughter-in-law of ‘Netaji’ returns to active politics after she lost Kannauj to the BJP in the 2019 general election.

    Filing of nominations has started and the last date for filing of nominations is November 17. The BJP is yet to announce its nominee for the seat.READ | JD(U) appeals to BJP, other parties to not field candidate against Dimple Yadav

    MAINPURI:  Samajwadi Party candidate for the Mainpuri Lok Sabha bypoll Dimple Yadav filed her nomination papers on Monday.

    SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and MP Ramgopal Yadav accompanied 44-year-old Dimple during the filing of nomination papers at the District Magistrate’s office here.

    Before submitting the papers, Dimple touched the feet of Ramgopal Yadav. Former MP from Mainpuri Tej Pratap and SP district president Alok Sakya were also accompanying them.

    The bypolls for the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat will be held on December 5 and the result will be declared on December 8.

    The Mainpuri parliamentary seat fell vacant following the demise of SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav on October 10.
    Dimple, a former MP from Kannauj, will seek to hold the party’s 26-year grip over the Mainpuri seat. The daughter-in-law of ‘Netaji’ returns to active politics after she lost Kannauj to the BJP in the 2019 general election.

    Filing of nominations has started and the last date for filing of nominations is November 17. The BJP is yet to announce its nominee for the seat.READ | JD(U) appeals to BJP, other parties to not field candidate against Dimple Yadav

  • Mainpuri, Rampur bypoll: Challenges galore for SP leadership

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: After suffering massive defeats in the 2022 assembly polls and the Gola Gokarannath bypoll, the Samajwadi Party is back to the drawing board as it faces a number of challenges in trying to save its fort in the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat and the Rampur (Sadar) assembly seat where the bypolls are due on December 5, 2022. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav was huddled with the senior party leaders in Lucknow on Monday to decide on the strategy and deliberate over the possible faces to be fielded in the two constituencies.

    Notably, both seats are considered to be bastions of the Samajwadis. The bypoll in the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat has been necessitated due to the demise of sitting MP and SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav after a prolonged illness on October 10, 2022.

    On the other, SP stalwart Mohammad Azam Khan’s disqualification from the state assembly owing to his conviction in a hate speech case has led to bypoll in Rampur (Sadar) seat which Azam Khan had won 10th time during the UP assembly election in 2022 while being in jail. He had trounced his nearest rival BJP’s Akash Saxena by a huge margin of 55,000 votes.

    On one hand, the SP leadership faces the task of keeping the morale of the cadre high after the Gola drubbing as they have to continue the momentum in Mainpuri and Rampur, on the other, a decision over the faces to be fielded on both sides to match the stature of Mulayam and Azam has to be made.

    “The party, at present, seems cagey about the previous by-poll defeats in its bastions — Rampur and Azamgarh Lok Sabha — at the hands of ruling BJP, in June this year,” says Prof AK Mishra, a prominent political scientist. “While SP’s first family pride would be put to test in Mainpuri which was represented by Mulayam Singh Yadav for five times since 1996 in Lok Sabha, the battle of Rampur Sadar will not be a cakewalk for it as the ruling party has already captured the Lok Sabha constituency,” said Prof Mishra.

    Significantly, Mulayam had a tight grip on Mainpuri where SP remained invincible for the last 22 years. Either Mulayam himself or any member of the Yadav clan have represented it in Parliament.

    “The challenge to retain both the seats is there. If the ruling party succeeds in wresting even one of the two seats from SP, it would be demoralising for the SP supporters and workers ahead of the bigger battle of 2024,” said Prof Mishra.

    As per the highly placed SP sources, Akhilesh held a series of meetings with local leaders of Mainpuri to arrive at a consensus over the candidate for the Lok Sabha seats on Saturday and Sunday.

    The common refrain remained that a family member should be fielded who could take the legacy of ‘Netaji’ forward. “The names of SP chief’s wife and former MP Dimple Yadav, Akhilesh’s cousin Dharmendra Yadav and his nephew Tej Pratap Yadav cropped up during the discussion as front runners who could be entrusted with the responsibility of Mainpuri,” said a senior SP leader seeking anonymity. 

    However, the political experts also stress that Akhilesh needs to take Shivpal along in the scheme of things to be successful.

    In Rampur, the decision on the candidate would be done taking Azam Khan into confidence and giving preference to his choice of candidate in his stronghold.

    The SP is treading cautiously after consecutive defeats in the last three by-polls during which the SP chief kept himself away from campaigning while resting his confidence on party workers and local leaders. He, however, drew brickbats for his strategy after losing both Rampur and Azamgarh LS seats to the BJP.

    In Gola, while the BJP had put the entire battery of Yogi ministers to campaign for the party candidate, the SP campaign was led by state chief Naresh Uttam and Akhilesh had issued only a public appeal seeking support for his candidate. However, in the upcoming bypolls, Akhilesh is expected to hold the command of the party’s campaign as it is the question of saving pride and honour of the two stalwarts. Only time will tell.

    LUCKNOW: After suffering massive defeats in the 2022 assembly polls and the Gola Gokarannath bypoll, the Samajwadi Party is back to the drawing board as it faces a number of challenges in trying to save its fort in the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat and the Rampur (Sadar) assembly seat where the bypolls are due on December 5, 2022. 
    SP chief Akhilesh Yadav was huddled with the senior party leaders in Lucknow on Monday to decide on the strategy and deliberate over the possible faces to be fielded in the two constituencies.

    Notably, both seats are considered to be bastions of the Samajwadis. The bypoll in the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat has been necessitated due to the demise of sitting MP and SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav after a prolonged illness on October 10, 2022.

    On the other, SP stalwart Mohammad Azam Khan’s disqualification from the state assembly owing to his conviction in a hate speech case has led to bypoll in Rampur (Sadar) seat which Azam Khan had won 10th time during the UP assembly election in 2022 while being in jail. He had trounced his nearest rival BJP’s Akash Saxena by a huge margin of 55,000 votes.

    On one hand, the SP leadership faces the task of keeping the morale of the cadre high after the Gola drubbing as they have to continue the momentum in Mainpuri and Rampur, on the other, a decision over the faces to be fielded on both sides to match the stature of Mulayam and Azam has to be made.

    “The party, at present, seems cagey about the previous by-poll defeats in its bastions — Rampur and Azamgarh Lok Sabha — at the hands of ruling BJP, in June this year,” says Prof AK Mishra, a prominent political scientist. “While SP’s first family pride would be put to test in Mainpuri which was represented by Mulayam Singh Yadav for five times since 1996 in Lok Sabha, the battle of Rampur Sadar will not be a cakewalk for it as the ruling party has already captured the Lok Sabha constituency,” said Prof Mishra.

    Significantly, Mulayam had a tight grip on Mainpuri where SP remained invincible for the last 22 years. Either Mulayam himself or any member of the Yadav clan have represented it in Parliament.

    “The challenge to retain both the seats is there. If the ruling party succeeds in wresting even one of the two seats from SP, it would be demoralising for the SP supporters and workers ahead of the bigger battle of 2024,” said Prof Mishra.

    As per the highly placed SP sources, Akhilesh held a series of meetings with local leaders of Mainpuri to arrive at a consensus over the candidate for the Lok Sabha seats on Saturday and Sunday.

    The common refrain remained that a family member should be fielded who could take the legacy of ‘Netaji’ forward. “The names of SP chief’s wife and former MP Dimple Yadav, Akhilesh’s cousin Dharmendra Yadav and his nephew Tej Pratap Yadav cropped up during the discussion as front runners who could be entrusted with the responsibility of Mainpuri,” said a senior SP leader seeking anonymity. 

    However, the political experts also stress that Akhilesh needs to take Shivpal along in the scheme of things to be successful.

    In Rampur, the decision on the candidate would be done taking Azam Khan into confidence and giving preference to his choice of candidate in his stronghold.

    The SP is treading cautiously after consecutive defeats in the last three by-polls during which the SP chief kept himself away from campaigning while resting his confidence on party workers and local leaders. He, however, drew brickbats for his strategy after losing both Rampur and Azamgarh LS seats to the BJP.

    In Gola, while the BJP had put the entire battery of Yogi ministers to campaign for the party candidate, the SP campaign was led by state chief Naresh Uttam and Akhilesh had issued only a public appeal seeking support for his candidate. However, in the upcoming bypolls, Akhilesh is expected to hold the command of the party’s campaign as it is the question of saving pride and honour of the two stalwarts. Only time will tell.

  • SC upholds setting aside of 2017 election of Abdullah Azam Khan from UP Assembly

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a plea challenging an order of the Allahabad High Court setting aside the election of Mohammad Abdullah Azam Khan, son of Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly in 2017.

    “We have dismissed (the plea),” said a bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and B V Nagarathna while pronouncing the verdict on Abdullah Azam’s plea against the high court order.

    The top court had reserved order on the issue on September 20.

    In December 2019, the Allahabad High Court had ruled that Abdullah Azam was not qualified to contest the election as he was below 25 years of age when he filed his nomination papers as the SP candidate from Suar constituency in 2017.

    The case relates to the existence of two birth certificates of Abdullah Azam, who allegedly gave a wrong date of birth while filing his nomination papers for the 2017 poll.

    Rampur BJP leader Akash Saxena had lodged an FIR at Ganj police station on January 3, 2019 alleging fraud in securing two birth certificates with different dates. In April, police had filed the charge sheet in the case.

    Azam Khan and his wife were sent to jail by a Rampur court in Uttar Pradesh for their alleged role in securing a fake birth certificate for Abdullah Azam on the basis of which he had contested the election.

    According to the charge sheet, in one birth certificate, issued by the Rampur municipality, Abdullah Azam’s date of birth was mentioned as January 1, 1993.

    The other certificate said he was born in Lucknow on September 30, 1990. Abdullah Azam had won from Suar assembly in 2017, but was unseated by the high court for being underage.

    He was again elected from the constituency in the assembly polls held in 2022.

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a plea challenging an order of the Allahabad High Court setting aside the election of Mohammad Abdullah Azam Khan, son of Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly in 2017.

    “We have dismissed (the plea),” said a bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and B V Nagarathna while pronouncing the verdict on Abdullah Azam’s plea against the high court order.

    The top court had reserved order on the issue on September 20.

    In December 2019, the Allahabad High Court had ruled that Abdullah Azam was not qualified to contest the election as he was below 25 years of age when he filed his nomination papers as the SP candidate from Suar constituency in 2017.

    The case relates to the existence of two birth certificates of Abdullah Azam, who allegedly gave a wrong date of birth while filing his nomination papers for the 2017 poll.

    Rampur BJP leader Akash Saxena had lodged an FIR at Ganj police station on January 3, 2019 alleging fraud in securing two birth certificates with different dates. In April, police had filed the charge sheet in the case.

    Azam Khan and his wife were sent to jail by a Rampur court in Uttar Pradesh for their alleged role in securing a fake birth certificate for Abdullah Azam on the basis of which he had contested the election.

    According to the charge sheet, in one birth certificate, issued by the Rampur municipality, Abdullah Azam’s date of birth was mentioned as January 1, 1993.

    The other certificate said he was born in Lucknow on September 30, 1990. Abdullah Azam had won from Suar assembly in 2017, but was unseated by the high court for being underage.

    He was again elected from the constituency in the assembly polls held in 2022.

  • SP begins collecting proof of voter deletion in 2022 UP Assembly polls

    By IANS

    LUCKNOW: The Samajwadi Party (SP) has started the process of collecting evidence regarding the alleged deletion of voters’ names in the recent Assembly elections.

    The Election Commission of India (ECI) has asked SP president Akhilesh Yadav to “submit documentary proof” to substantiate his allegation about the deletion of voter names in 2022 UP Assembly polls.

    The SP president has now asked all the party candidates (winners and losers) and district units’ top office-bearers to gather evidence of names that were ‘wrongfully struck off voters’ lists’.

    They have been directed to compile photocopies of complaints made to returning officers at the time.

    The party has set November 3 as the deadline for the candidates to submit the documents to the party headquarters so that they could be sent to the Election Commission in time.

    A letter to this effect has been sent to all by SP state president Naresh Uttam Patel.

    Patel’s letter also asks to collect affidavits from such voters whose names were wrongfully struck off the voters’ lists.

    It may be recalled that on October 27, the EC had asked Akhilesh Yadav to submit proof to back up his charges by November 10.

    Akhilesh hit back at the poll panel on October 28 and said, “Had the Election Commission itself followed the rules related to the voters’ list in the 2022 UP Assembly polls, then thousands of voters would not have been deprived of their vote.”

    Last month, the SP chief had alleged that the names of 20,000 voters from the Yadav and Muslim communities had been deleted from almost all 403 Assembly constituencies ahead of the state elections in February-March.

    LUCKNOW: The Samajwadi Party (SP) has started the process of collecting evidence regarding the alleged deletion of voters’ names in the recent Assembly elections.

    The Election Commission of India (ECI) has asked SP president Akhilesh Yadav to “submit documentary proof” to substantiate his allegation about the deletion of voter names in 2022 UP Assembly polls.

    The SP president has now asked all the party candidates (winners and losers) and district units’ top office-bearers to gather evidence of names that were ‘wrongfully struck off voters’ lists’.

    They have been directed to compile photocopies of complaints made to returning officers at the time.

    The party has set November 3 as the deadline for the candidates to submit the documents to the party headquarters so that they could be sent to the Election Commission in time.

    A letter to this effect has been sent to all by SP state president Naresh Uttam Patel.

    Patel’s letter also asks to collect affidavits from such voters whose names were wrongfully struck off the voters’ lists.

    It may be recalled that on October 27, the EC had asked Akhilesh Yadav to submit proof to back up his charges by November 10.

    Akhilesh hit back at the poll panel on October 28 and said, “Had the Election Commission itself followed the rules related to the voters’ list in the 2022 UP Assembly polls, then thousands of voters would not have been deprived of their vote.”

    Last month, the SP chief had alleged that the names of 20,000 voters from the Yadav and Muslim communities had been deleted from almost all 403 Assembly constituencies ahead of the state elections in February-March.

  • ‘Conviction, jail term, disqualification’: End of political road for Azam Khan?

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: The political career of Mohammad Azam Khan, one of the senior leaders of the Samajwadi Party, seems to be in for turbulent times in politics following his conviction and three-year jail term in a hate speech case dating back to 2019.

    The conviction followed by the disqualification of the SP leader from the state assembly may be the end of the road for him in electoral politics. Azam Khan, if fails to get a reprieve from higher courts, would not be allowed to contest any election for the next six years from the day of his release from jail after serving the term. It would lead Khan to be away from electoral politics for nine years in all.

    One of the pillars of SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav’s think tank with a tight grip on Muslim votes, especially of western UP, Azam Khan’s influence came in handy for SP-Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) alliance in the 2022 Assembly polls as it bagged around 40 seats from the western region of the state.

    Of the five assembly seats of the Rampur parliamentary segment, three were bagged by the SP-RLD alliance. Azam Khan from Rampur and his son Abdullah Azam from Suar Tanda won their respective seats.

    Similarly, in Moradabad, which has over 50 per cent Muslim voters, of the six seats, five went to SP and only one was bagged by the BJP. In Sambhal, another Muslim-dominated constituency, of the four assembly segments, three went to SP and one to the BJP.

    ALSO READ | Azam Khan, son return ‘Y’ category security provided by Yogi govt

    Azam Khan’s conviction and his disqualification from the Assembly came as a major jolt for his party just before the upcoming urban local body polls due this year-end and 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

    “Azam Khan’s growing age and health condition and criminal cases lodged in abundance against him are set to multiply his problems making his return to active politics difficult,” says Prof SK Dwivedi, former head, of the political science department of Lucknow University.

    The strongman of Rampur, on the wrong side of the age, has been struggling with a number of medical conditions while grappling with hearing in the criminal cases lodged against him in different courts.

    However, as per the SP sources, Azam Khan is in the process of challenging his conviction order delivered by Rampur MP/MLA court in Rampur sessions Court soon. He is consulting the legal luminaries and is likely to move to Sessions Court soon within this week as the MP/MLA court while granting him interim bail had allowed him to challenge his conviction within a week’s time in the higher court.

    LUCKNOW: The political career of Mohammad Azam Khan, one of the senior leaders of the Samajwadi Party, seems to be in for turbulent times in politics following his conviction and three-year jail term in a hate speech case dating back to 2019.

    The conviction followed by the disqualification of the SP leader from the state assembly may be the end of the road for him in electoral politics. Azam Khan, if fails to get a reprieve from higher courts, would not be allowed to contest any election for the next six years from the day of his release from jail after serving the term. It would lead Khan to be away from electoral politics for nine years in all.

    One of the pillars of SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav’s think tank with a tight grip on Muslim votes, especially of western UP, Azam Khan’s influence came in handy for SP-Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) alliance in the 2022 Assembly polls as it bagged around 40 seats from the western region of the state.

    Of the five assembly seats of the Rampur parliamentary segment, three were bagged by the SP-RLD alliance. Azam Khan from Rampur and his son Abdullah Azam from Suar Tanda won their respective seats.

    Similarly, in Moradabad, which has over 50 per cent Muslim voters, of the six seats, five went to SP and only one was bagged by the BJP. In Sambhal, another Muslim-dominated constituency, of the four assembly segments, three went to SP and one to the BJP.

    ALSO READ | Azam Khan, son return ‘Y’ category security provided by Yogi govt

    Azam Khan’s conviction and his disqualification from the Assembly came as a major jolt for his party just before the upcoming urban local body polls due this year-end and 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

    “Azam Khan’s growing age and health condition and criminal cases lodged in abundance against him are set to multiply his problems making his return to active politics difficult,” says Prof SK Dwivedi, former head, of the political science department of Lucknow University.

    The strongman of Rampur, on the wrong side of the age, has been struggling with a number of medical conditions while grappling with hearing in the criminal cases lodged against him in different courts.

    However, as per the SP sources, Azam Khan is in the process of challenging his conviction order delivered by Rampur MP/MLA court in Rampur sessions Court soon. He is consulting the legal luminaries and is likely to move to Sessions Court soon within this week as the MP/MLA court while granting him interim bail had allowed him to challenge his conviction within a week’s time in the higher court.