UP Elections: Jailed Azam Khan to contest from Rampur; Returning officer visits Sitapur jail for formalities

Sitapur: The Samajwadi Party has fielded jailed Lok Sabha MP Azam Khan from the Rampur assembly seat in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections 2022. To complete the joining formalities, a returning officer, on Wednesday, visited Sitapur Jail where Khan's election form was filled.

Jailer RS Yadav said, "As per an order issued by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) a returning officer came in with his team to complete all the formalities of filing an election form. Formalities have been completed and the officer with the papers have been sent back to Rampur in the police vehicle."

Azam Khan is in the Sitapur jail since February 2020 on various cases registered against him. His son Abdullah Khan, who was released from the jail recently, also will contest the 2022 assembly elections from Sitapur's Suar district in the Rohilkhand region. Abdullah was also in the jail but was released on bail recently.

Abdullah had won from Suar in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls but his election was declared null and void by the Allahabad High Court in 2019 on grounds of his lower age at the time of filing the nominations. High Court ruled that he was not of valid age 25 when he filed his nomination.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) condemned Akhilesh Yadav's move of giving election to Azam Khan and labelled Samajwadi Party as the party of 'jail and bail'.

BJP Spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia questioned Akhilesh Yadav on Khan's candidature and said what forced SP to give Khan the election ticket even after the court had rejected his bail plea.

He said, "The crime rate in Uttar Pradesh during the SP government was at a high. We cannot forget the Jawahar Bagh incident in Mathura. Besides, riots used to be commonplace in Uttar Pradesh. The SP is a party of criminals. The mafias and dons used to consider themselves above the law. Now, they are under control and in fear."

Uttar Pradesh Elections 2022 for the 403 Assembly constituencies will held in seven phases starting February 10. The polling will take place on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27 and March 3 and 7. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.