SP to field miffed 10-time MLA Azam Khan's wife Tazeen Fatima for Lok Sabha by-election

In an exclusive scoop, Republic TV learnt that SP will field miffed senior leader Azam Khan's wife Tazeen Fatima for the upcoming Lok Sabha by-elections. Elected to Rajya Sabha in November 2014, she tendered her resignation in October 2019 after winning the Rampur Assembly bypoll. She was incarcerated from February-December 2020 in a forgery case. In the recently concluded Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, her husband won the Rampur seat for the 10th time despite being behind the bars. Meanwhile, Akhilesh Yadav's cousin Dharmendra Yadav is likely to be given the ticket from Azamgarh.

Yadav served as a Lok Sabha MP from 2004 to 2019. Earlier, speculation was rife that the SP president's wife and former parliamentarian Dimple Yadav might be named as the Azamgarh candidate. The by-elections for Rampur and Azamgarh were necessitated after sitting MPs Azam Khan and Akhilesh Yadav resigned after their election to the Legislative Assembly in March. While the election in these SP bastions will take place on June 23, the results shall be declared three days later. BJP has named Ghanshyam Lodhi and popular actor Dinesh Lal Yadav 'Nirahua' as its candidates from Rampur and Azamgarh respectively.

SP's debacle in UP Assembly polls

The UP Assembly elections were held in 7 phases - February 10, February 14, February 20, February 23, February 27, March 3 and March 7, whereas the counting of votes took place on March 10. Though Akhilesh Yadav ran a spirited campaign travelling the length and breadth of the state, he failed to dislodge the BJP government from UP. This came even as SP's vote share increased from 21.82% to 32.06%, which is higher than its 2012 vote share when it formed the government in the state by winning 224 seats.

While the SP improved its tally to 111 from 47 seats that it won last time, its allies RLD and SBSP gained 8 and 6 seats each. Meanwhile, Yogi Adityanath broke a 37-year-old jinx by securing a second term as the CM in UP. Despite a rise in its vote share from 39.67% to 41.29%, BJP bagged 255 seats. With Apna Dal (S) and NISHAD party winning 12 and 6 seats each, the BJP-led alliance has 273 seats in the 403-member Assembly.