BJP ally Apna Dal delivers final assault on Azam Khan's Rampur fortress, also wins in Mirzapur

Rampur/Mirzapur: The ruling BJP-led coalition on Saturday ended Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan's over four-decade dominance in Rampur with its ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) winning the Suar assembly by-election by a margin of 8,724 votes.

The BJP ally also retained Chhanbey (SC) seat in Mirzapur district by trouncing the SP rival by over 9,500 votes. Both the bypolls were held on

May 10.

Shafeek Ahmed Ansari of the Anupriya Patel-headed Apna Dal (Sonelal) secured a little over 50 per cent of the total votes polled in the Suar bypoll, according to the Election Commission website.

Ansari polled 68,630 votes and his nearest-rival and SP nominee Anuradha Chauhan bagged 59,906 votes. More than 1.35 lakh votes were polled in the by-election.

The Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress did not field candidates on the seat.

Ansari said his win is a result of the collective effort and hardwork of BJP and Apna Dal (Sonelal) workers.

With this victory, the ruling coalition ended Azam Khan's over four-decade hold in the Muslim-dominated Rampur district. Azam Khan and his family watched the poll outcome on TV at their Jail Road residence.

Of the five assembly constituencies under Rampur Lok Sabha seat, Bilaspur, Rampur and Milak (SC) are held by the BJP. Chamraua is held by SP and Suar has been clinched by BJP's ally Apna Dal (Sonelal).

The Rampur parliamentary constituency, also a stronghold of Azam Khan, was won by the BJP.

SP's Muslim face from the days of Mulayam Singh Yadav, Azam Khan remained undefeated in Rampur Sadar assembly seat since 1980 irrespective of the party in power.

In November 2022, Azam Khan's name was removed from the electoral roll in Rampur after he was convicted in a 2019 hate speech case. As a result, he could not cast his vote in the by-election in Suar.

In February 2023, his son Abdullah Azam Khan's name was struck off the electoral roll after his disqualification from the assembly. A Moradabad court had sentenced him to two years in jail in a 15-year-old case.

Referring to his son's disqualification as MLA from Suar, which necessitated the bypoll, Azam Khan had claimed that there was "no one who can defeat him."