Jaya Prada versus Azam Khan: A poll battle with a cinematic twist

NEW DELHI: It's as cinematic as it can get. Friend-turned-foes Jaya Prada and Azam Khan are pitted against each other in Rampur constituency in Uttar Pradesh. Azam Khan, the current and nine-time MLA from Rampur, is a candidate of SP-BSP combine while Jaya Prada will be fielded by the BJP. She joined the party yesterday. Once allies, both have attacked each other in public for many years.

Film actor Jaya Prada started her political journey with the Telugu Desam Party and was its Rajya Sabha MP before joining the SP. A two-term Lok Sabha MP from the SP, she is a close associate of Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh, who was expelled from SP along with her and has since come close to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

When Jaya Prada fought her Lok Sabha elections in 2004, Khan was a close friend. Both Azam Khan and Amar Singh campaigned for her. She registered a thumping victory with a margin of over 85,000 votes and defeated senior Congress leader and sitting MP Begum Noor Bano.


Later, factional politics in SP saw Azam Khan and Amar Singh fighting each other bitterly and Jaya Prada sided with Amar Singh. When Amar Singh helped SP forge an alliance with former BJP chief Minister Kalayan SIngh for 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Azam Khan left the party in protest. When Jaya Prada again fought Lok Sabha elections from Rampur in 2009 on SP ticket, Azam Khan supported the Congress candidate Bano. Jaya Prada again won. But the next year she and Amar Singh were expelled from SP for "anti-party activities". In 2014, she contested Lok Sabha elections on an RLD ticket from Bijnor but lost.

During the 2009 elections, when Azam Khan was supporting Jaya Prada's opponent, she alleged that he had circulated her nude posters and CDs.
Last year after the release of the film 'Padmaavat'. Jayaprada said Alauddin Khilji’s character in ‘Padmaavat’ reminded her of Azam Khan and how he harassed her when she was contesting elections from Rampur in 2009. Azam Khan hit back at her, calling her a "naachnewali".

Jaya Prada has claimed that Azam Khan used to abuse her during her poll campaign in 2009 and Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh did not support her. “They never opposed Azam Khan because they did not want to lose Muslim votes,” she claimed.

After joining the BJP yesterday, Jaya Prada said, “I am not scared of Azam Khan.” Talking to TOI over the phone, she said, “Instead of being scared of Azam Khan and his henchmen this time, I am ready to give him a befitting reply. And this has been made possible because of the strong leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah who are with me.”