Lucknow: BJP’s ally Apna Dal (S) on Saturday wrested Uttar Pradesh’s Swar assembly seat from the Samajwadi Party (SP) – considered a family stronghold of former Rampur MP Azam Khan.
Meanwhile, in Chanbe constituency of Mirzapur too, Apna Dal (S) candidate Rinki Kol is leading over her SP counterpart Kirti Kol by around 8,000 votes.
Apna Dal (S)’s Shafiq Ahmed Ansari has edged ahead of SP’s Anuradha Chauhan in the Muslim-majority assembly constituency, which falls under Rampur Lok Sabha seat. According to Election Commission figures, Ansari won by 8,724 votes.
Chauhan is a Rajput Hindu, while Ansari, a Muslim, is a former aide of Khan.
Unlike previous elections, both candidates are local residents.
Ansari’s victory comes as a major boost for the ruling coalition and a major reversal for the SP, especially considering its timing – it comes after less than six months Rampur Assembly Seat Went to BJP and a year before 2024 general elections.
The Swar bypoll was necessitated by the disqualification of Azam Khan’s son, Abdullah Azam Khan, as an MLA following his conviction in a 15-year-old case.
In January 2008, a Moradabad court sentenced both father and son to two years in jail for obstructing a public servant from his duty by staging a sit-in on the state highway.
Abdullah and Azam Khan staged a sit-in after their convoy was pulled over by the police for verification following the terror attack on the CRPF camp in Rampur.
The fight for Suar has been an important one, especially given the political developments leading up to it – while Chouhan, the SP candidate, has called herself the “sister” of UP chief minister Adityanath.Apna Dal (S) chief Anupriya Patel had ruled out Azam Khan’s ability to mount a challenge.
While both Anupriya and her husband Ashish Patel have thrown their weight behind Ansari, Adityanath and other senior BJP leaders have stayed away from campaigning.
Chhanbe’s Apna Dal (S) candidate Rinke Kol is the wife of former MLA Rahul Prakash Kol, who died of cancer in February, necessitating the bypoll.
Read also: Slavery of Nawabs, SP’s Muslim face and ‘Sexist’ – Azam Khan’s political rollercoaster ride
Azam’s former aide broke SP’s vote bank, Peace Party spoiled the game
Observers say several factors may have dented the SP vote bank in Suar.
These include the transfer of BJP votes to Ansari, the Apna Dal(S) candidate’s own support base among the Ansari community – which forms a large part of the population in Suar – and the presence of rival candidates such as Nazia Siddiqui of the Peace Party. .
Azam Khan’s son Abdullah had polled more than 50 per cent votes in the last two elections – in the 2017 assembly elections, his first entrant, he won more than 51 per cent votes, while in 2022 he won more than 59 per cent votes. ,
Chouhan is a former leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), who served as a district panchayat member as an independent before joining the SP in 2015.
His loss came despite Azam Khan’s intense campaigning for him – defying initial speculation that he would stay away, the SP stalwart was seen making an emotional pitch to voters through videos and public meetings, where he asked the public to “call him”. asked to give his rights”.
At another rally, he launched a scathing attack against Ansari, saying he had let the community down (“chopped nuts”) Contesting for a BJP ally, even calling him a traitor, but without explicitly naming him.
Sifat Ali, a social activist from Rampur, told ThePrint that the SP managed to get a sizeable chunk of Muslim votes, but it was not enough to retain the seat.
“Ansari held the post of municipality president twice and won by over 35,000 votes. He won because of the support of members of the Ansari community, who form a major chunk of the Muslim vote. Also, the Hindu vote of BJP also went with them and this alliance reversed the equation of SP.
Peace Party’s Nazia Siddiqui is also seen creating disturbance in the party. According to the Election Commission of India, he had received 4,683 votes till 2.40 pm.
A local SP leader, who did not wish to be named, attributed this to the Peace Party’s election campaign – according to the leader, the party started its political campaign two months before the bypolls were announced in March.
End of the road for Azam Khan family?
Political observers appear divided on the political prospects of 75-year-old Azam Khan, especially given that the SP is currently out of power.
Khan is facing 93 criminal cases in UP and was disqualified from the assembly in October after being convicted in a hate speech case.
“As a political family, the Azams would like to pass on the baton or whatever political capital they have left to their son. Age is not on his side and he is not expected to perform brilliantly and it may seem that the family is coming to an end. “Since SP is not coming to power in UP in near future, it could be the end of the road for Azam Khan”.
Still, he says, the leader cannot be dismissed outright.
“Politics is a game of musical chairs where power keeps shifting between a handful of people. Azam Khan’s family is a political family and they can still remain important before the Lok Sabha elections.
But SP spokesperson Amiq Jami told ThePrint that Azam was one of the tallest leaders of the socialist movement and is still powerful.
“The BJP feels that by taking away their membership, they will end their political influence, but some leaders are not at the mercy of posts,” he said. ,[The SP’s] 110 MLAs in the UP Assembly, SP members in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are the families of Azam Khan. It is Azam Khan who decides who will get the ticket (in Rampur).”
(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)
Read also: Akhilesh is silent but Dimple said – why SP is taunting Brij Bhushan