Azamgarh, Rampur Lok Sabha polls today

Lucknow: Voting for the by-elections to the two high profile Lok Sabha seats of Azamgarh and Rampur, both SP bastions, will take place on Thursday, in what could be a shot in the arm for the BJP ahead of 2024 general election if it wins and a bigger embarrassment for the SP if it loses.

The SP on Wednesday wrote a letter to the chief election commissioner of Uttar Pradesh complaining that the BJP is "misusing" government machinery to intimidate voters. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that party workers were also called to police stations in Rampur and threatened.

The bypolls have been necessitated after SP chief Akhilesh Yadav vacated his Azamgarh seat and senior SP leader Azam Khan, vacated the Rampur seat, both to take up membership of the state assembly.


In the Yadav-Muslim dominated Azamgarh, the SP is battling a potential minority vote upset. This is because the BSP has fielded popular local Muslim face and former MLA Shah Alam alias Guddu Jamali. The BJP has fielded Bhojpuri singer Dinesh Yadav 'Nirahua and SP has fielded Akhilesh's cousin Dharmendra Yadav.

In Rampur, the battle has become even more intense as it has coincided with Azam Khan's return to public life after being imprisoned for more than two years. In the fray is a former Khan and Kalyan Singh aide, Ghanshyam Lodhi, representing the BJP, and a current aide of Khan, Asim Raza. A five-time MLA from the area, Nawab Kazim Ali Khan, a Congress leader and a bete noire of Azam, has also pledged support to the BJP candidate.