When the national election buzz begins, Uttar Pradesh's political stakes soar, given the state elects 80 parliamentary representatives. A pivotal backbone to central governance, parties vying for power meticulously review each candidate’s potential. Amidst such strategic planning, the speculation about the potential candidate for the Rampur parliamentary seat from the Samajwadi Party is rife. The stalwart SP leader Azam Khan has long been the voice of this seat, considered a stronghold of his influence.
With Azam Khan currently serving a sentence and thus ineligible to contest, SP is on the lookout for a robust candidate for Rampur. Buzz has it that Akhilesh Yadav has found the face of the campaign - none other than Maulana Mohibullah Nadvi, Imam of the Jama Masjid on Parliament Street in Delhi. Maulana Nadvi, originally from Rampur himself, reportedly reached Rampur from Delhi late Tuesday night after his candidacy was confirmed by the SP.
Today marks the last day for nomination submissions in Rampur
There's a possibility that Mohibullah Nadvi will file his nomination from Rampur today, as it's the last day for candidature submissions for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In the 2014 election, BJP's Nepal Singh clinched victory from this seat. Samajwadi Party's Azam Khan took the win in the 2019 general elections. However, Khan’s subsequent conviction left the seat vacant, and in the 2022 by-elections, BJP's Ghanshyam Lodhi emerged victorious. The BJP has fielded Ghanshyam Lodhi once again from Rampur.
General elections to unfold in seven phases across Uttar Pradesh
The schedule for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections has been announced, with voting to take place across seven phases. The first phase is slated for 19th April, followed by the subsequent phases on 26th April, 7th May, 13th May, 20th May, 25th May, and 1st June, with results to be declared on 4th June. Uttar Pradesh's 80 seats will witness polling over these phases. The BJP has so far announced 64 of its candidates, with 10 more to be declared. BJP has set aside six seats for its alliance partners, including RLD, Apna Dal (Sonalal), SuSPa, and Nishad Party.
BJP and SP have announced candidates for most seats
Meanwhile, SP has reserved 17 seats for Congress and decided to contest 63 on its own, having announced 51 candidates till now and leaving 12 to be declared. BJP has allocated two seats each for RLD (Mathura and Baghpat) and Apna Dal (Sonalal) (Mirzapur and Sonbhadra), while SuSPa is likely to receive the Ghosi seat, and Nishad Party may contend from Khalilabad. SP has left the traditional bastions of Rai Bareli and Amethi for Congress, which has yet to name its candidates for these seats. Smriti Irani's contest from Amethi is almost certain on BJP's side, while they still have to finalize a candidate for Rai Bareli.
