Azam KhanWith the Rampur Assembly constituency lying vacant after nine-time MLA Azam Khan was elected to Parliament, all eyes are on who will Samajwadi Party field during the upcoming bypolls from the seat. With both SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and founder Mulayam Singh Yadav backing Azam against a slew of cases filed against him, a section of party leaders feel that the ticket may be given to someone from Azam’s family, may be his wife Tanzeen Fatima or elder son Adeeb. With Akhilesh scheduled to visit Rampur this week, local SP leaders in Rampur say that it will be Azam’s decision on who would contest from the seat.
Groundwork
With the bypolls to the 12 Assembly seats approaching, both the BSP and SP are leaving no stone unturned to emerge as the main opposition party against the ruling BJP. With no tie-up between the two parties this time, they are focusing on building their organisation on the ground. This week, both SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and BSP chief Mayawati addressed their respective party workers and instructed them to focus on connecting with the voters at booth level. Both the parties concede that it will not be easy for them as both are contesting separately.
Parting Thanks
Last week, when Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav addressed a press conference after a gap of nearly two years, the 79-year-old’s inability to hear questions and respond to them became a cause of concern for all. On several occasions, the questions were to be repeated five-six times, but still, Mulayam heard it wrong and answered to a completely different question. However, party leaders ensured that the patriarch was treated with great respect. Before leaving, Mulayam thanked the journalists for their patience.
