Rampur Bypoll: Samajwadi Party Declares Azam Khan's Aide Asim Raza Khan As Its Candidate

Raja, who is considered close to Azam Khan, had contested the parliamentary by-poll as an SP candidate but lost to BJP's Ghanshyam Lodhi.

New Delhi: The Samajwadi Party has declared Asim Raja as the party's candidate in the assembly by-election in the Rampur seat on Tuesday. The announcement was made by senior party leader Azam Khan in the meeting held at the SP office. Raja, who is considered close to Azam Khan, had contested the parliamentary by-poll as an SP candidate but lost to BJP's Ghanshyam Lodhi.

Earlier, on October 10, a Rampur sessions court in Uttar Pradesh rejected Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan's appeal challenging his conviction in a hate-speech case that led to his disqualification from UP Assembly.

Significantly, Azam Khan has been disqualified from membership of the House after being convicted and sentenced to 3 years in jail for making hate speeches. On 27 October, he was disqualified under the Representation of the People Act 1951 and the ramp. Azam Khan had applied to the Supreme Court regarding the loss of membership, on which the court had sought answers from the Uttar Pradesh government and the Election Commission.

Following the directions of the Supreme Court, the hearing, fixed on November 15, has been asked to be held on November 10 and the verdict will be pronounced on the same day.

SP leader Azam Khan was convicted on October 27 by the MP-MLA court in Rampur for giving hate speech and sentenced to three years imprisonment and to pay a fine of six thousand rupees. 

After getting a three-year sentence from the court, the next day on October 28, his legislature was canceled and the Rampur assembly seat was declared vacant.

After this, the Election Commission announced to hold by-elections for the Rampur assembly seat on November 5. The gazette notification for the by-election was to be issued on November 10. The filing of nomination papers for the by-election was also to begin on November 10. Meanwhile, SP leader Azam Khan filed a petition in the Supreme Court on November 7.

He had raised questions about the intention of the government and the process of elections on which a hearing was held in the Supreme Court in a bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud.