Islamic regime in Rampur ended. Akash Saxena won as a first Hindu MLA since Independence.

Rampur, a place named after Lord Ram, gets its first Hindu MLA since Independence ending Azam Khan regime.

Notably, Rampur Assembly seat has always been occupied by a Muslim leader ever since the first election that was held here in 1952. This is the first time a Hindu candidate has won from the seat. 

Adil M | Times Now Bureau | Rampur | Dec 8, 2022:: Upsetting the odds, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday defeated Samajwadi Party (SP) in the Rampur bypoll as its candidate Akash Saxena pipped his nearest SP rival Asim Raja by a comfortable margin.

According to the Election Commission data, Saxena won by a margin of 33,702 votes and was handed over the winners certificate by the Returning Officer. Samajwadi Party’s Asim Raja finished runners up.

The bypoll for the Rampur Sadar seat was necessitated after Azam Khan was sentenced to three years in jail in a hate speech case, and subsequently disqualified as MLA. It should be noted that Azam Khan had first won the Rampur seat in 1980 and was only defeated twice before his dismissal in 2022.

Asim Raja was fielded by the Samajwadi Party as Azam Khan has been barred by the Election Commission from contesting the elections for the next six years due to his conviction. The bypoll was held on December 5.

Notably, Rampur Assembly seat has always been occupied by a Muslim leader ever since the first election that was held here in 1952. This is the first time a Hindu candidate has won from the seat.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was among the first leaders to congratulate Akash Saxena on his historic victory. “”BJP has won the Rampur seat for the first time. For this, congratulations to all workers of Rampur, including Akash Saxena, and thanks to the almighty public (for support),” he tweeted.