Mohd Azam Khan, a senior member of the Samajwadi Party, is going through a trying time right now. The name of Azam Khan has since been struck from the Rampur electoral roll, weeks after he was found guilty in a 2019 hate speech case.
The ruling Implies that the SP leader won’t be able to cast a ballot in the by-election on December 5 in his hometown of Rampur Sadar (urban).
In a complaint filed by BJP bypoll candidate Akash Saxena, who cited numerous legal rules to request the deletion of his name, the Rampur Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) decided to delete his name from the list, according to sources.
According to the ERO’s decision, “the name of Mohammad Azam Khan is suitable for Striking off” along with “the application submitted by the applicant (Saxena), copies of the judgment/order of the court, and after considering the relevant provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and the Representation of the People Act, 1951.”
According to the ERO’s ruling, “the name of Khan should be immediately expunged from the serial number-333 of Vidhan sabha 37-Rampur,” according to a PTI report.
Notably, the BJP candidate for the Rampur Sadar seat is Akash Saxena. Azam Khan, who was disqualified after being found guilty of hate speech last month, has also been the target of numerous other complaints in addition to the one in the current case.
The SP leader would have a difficult time ensuring that his protégé Asim Raza wins the Sadar seat in the by-election. On Thursday, Khan was beside Raza when he filed his nomination for the by-election.
In the 2019 hate speech case, the Rampur Special Court sentenced him to three years in prison last month. The seat was subsequently declared vacant by the assembly secretariat. In the most recent state elections, Azam Khan won the Rampur Sadar seat for the tenth time.
Along with other constituencies, including the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat, which was held by the late SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, the Election Commission is holding by-elections there.
Following the disqualification of BJP MLA Vikram Singh Saini due to his conviction in the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots case, Khatauli in Muzaffarnagar also became vacant.
