The voter turnout in the second phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, held on Monday, indicates that jailed Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan’s future in his bastion Rampur may be in jeopardy.
Jailed Samajwadi Party MP Azam Khan’s future in his bastion Rampur may be in jeopardy. If polling figures are any indicator, anti-incumbency seems to be piling up for Azam Khan.
On Monday, the overall average estimated polling percentage of the Rampur area was 60.30 per cent, which is lower as compared to 63.97 per cent in 2017. Rampur city recorded 58.8 per cent voter turnout – the least out of all other constituencies in Rampur.
Rampur has 61 per cent Muslim voters. Thus, an overall drop in polling numbers could leave Azam Khan in a tight spot.
Rampur parliamentary constituency spans over five assembly seats – Rampur city, Suar, Chamaraua, and Milak and Bilaspur – out of these three are dominated by Muslim voters. It is the Muslim vote bank of Rampur that decides who sits on the throne of this part of Rohilkhand.
Azam’s son Abdullah Azam Khan, who won the last assembly poll from Suar by a margin of 50,000 votes, is in direct contest with Nawab Naved Miyan’s son Hamza Miyan, the lone Muslim candidate fielded by Apna Dal.
At 71.53 per cent, Suar polled the highest amongst all assembly seats in Rampur, while Bilaspur polled 68 per cent and Chamraua polled 62 per cent. Milak recorded 59 per cent voter turnout.
Speaking to India Today TV after casting his vote, Hamza Miyan claimed that people were fed up of Azam Khan and the Samajwadi Party.
People want development. People are sick and tired of Azam Khan, people want work, they want development. People have felt safer in the five-year term of the BJP government, as opposed to the Samajwadi government. When people from Rampur used to go to the Akhilesh government in Lucknow, they used to send them away saying Rampur doesn’t come under UP,” the Apna Dal leader said.
On Azam Khan being in jail, he said, “He cannot say anything more, he has already done enough damage and now we will do the damage control.”
Azam Khan’s son and daughter-in-law, who came out to vote, said that people were watching the atrocities being meted out on Azam Khan in jail and would vote accordingly.
“The family is together in this time of crisis and the people of Rampur are watching the atrocities on Azam Khan in jail, hence they will do the right thing,” Azam Khan’s daughter-in-law Sidhra Khan said.
Abdullah Azam said, “Nobody can make up for the absence of Azam sahab. But if the BJP thinks that putting an innocent person behind bars is good, it is their misunderstanding. They’ll see the people’s reaction on March 10.”
Polling began early but didn’t see much traction throughout the day, as many trickled in to vote just after noon in various polling booths.
Speaking to India Today TV, women voters at Raza Degree College in Rampur shared their concerns.
“Inflation is a big issue for us. This government is doing a lot of Hindus-vs-Muslims. We want this to end. We want to live peacefully with our Hindu, Sikh, and Christian brothers and sisters. If the SP government comes to power, we will be able to live peacefully,” Laiba, a Muslim voter, said.
“It’s not Nawab vs Azam at all. The contest today is BJP vs SP. We need Rampur to progress and when cities are developed, the country will also move forward,” a voter said.
