Nawab Kazim Ali Khan of Rampur gave support to BJP candidate being from Congress party

Akanksha Hatwal November 20, 2022

1 minute read

Lucknow. The by-election on the Rampur assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh has created history. For the first time, a Congress leader has extended his support to a BJP candidate, which has sent shockwaves throughout his party.

Nawab Kazim Ali Khan, who is a senior Congress member, has extended his support to BJP’s candidate Akash Saxena. Saxena confirmed that Kazim Ali has announced his support. However, there has been no comment from Kazim Ali. A scion of the local royal family, Kazim Ali has been a five-time MLA from Rampur. His enmity with SP stalwart Mohammad Azam Khan has been in the news a lot. Akash is the son of former party MP from Rampur, Shiv Bahadur Saxena.

The Samajwadi Party (SP) has fielded Asim Raza, an aide of Azam Khan, and Kazim Ali, son of former Congress MP Begum Noor Bano, will not support anyone supporting Azam Khan.

Interestingly, Raza had recently contested the Lok Sabha bypoll from Rampur, but lost. A senior BJP leader said Kazim Ali’s support to Akash Saxena would definitely help the BJP, as elections are fought on perceptions.

Kazim Ali’s support to BJP may swing Shia votes in favor of Akash Saxena. A source close to Kazim Ali said, Kazim Ali’s support is for Akash Saxena and not for the BJP. Because Akash took a stand against his arch-rival Azam Khan and is a party to over 80 cases against the former SP minister. It was Saxena’s complaint that led to Azam’s disqualification in a hate speech case.

Meanwhile, the matter has created a furore in the Uttar Pradesh Congress with a section of party leaders demanding action against Kazim Ali. A senior party leader said, at a time when the Congress party is fighting against the BJP and Rahul Gandhi is on his Bharat Jodo Yatra against communal forces, Kazim Ali has decided to support the BJP candidate. There is no such thing as a personal endorsement in politics. The party high command should take note of this and ensure action.

A former UPCC president said that Nawab Kazim Ali’s loyalty to the party was already questionable, as he had earlier defected to the SP and the Bahujan Samaj Party.