Upset with the party’s decision not to field any candidate in Rampur Lok Sabha bypolls, disgruntled Congress leader and former minister Kazim Ali Khan alias Naveed Mian has decided to contest as an `Independent’ to ensure the defeat of the Samajwadi Party candidate.
Interestingly, Khan even extended his support to the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate to settle scores with old adversary Mohammad Azam Khan.
"Not fielding any candidate in Rampur will badly hurt the Congress. I was ready to file the nomination, but after the party decided against fielding a candidate, I filed my papers as an independent candidate. We will have to grab our party votes," he said.
Kazim, however, added that he was “not leaving Congress” but would continue to oppose the SP and its leader Azam Khan, who has fielded his aide Asim Raja in the bypoll.
Commenting on Azam Khan's decision, Kazim said, "He thought if his wife lost, it would be a slap on his face. So out of fear, he has fielded his servant".
Kazim Khan also called Azam “communal”, saying that he was responsible for communal riots in Muzaffarnagar.
"Muslims suffered the worst atrocities during the Samajwadi Party rule from 2014 to 2017. As many as 750 NDPS cases were registered against Muslim youths,” he said.
To buttress his claim over the Rampur seat, Kazim claimed that the Nawab family of Rampur has been associated with Congress since independence. His father Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Khan alias Miki Mian was elected MP from Rampur four times on a Congress ticket. After his death, Miki Mian's wife Begum Nur Bano was twice elected Member of Parliament.
Kazim's apparent tacit support to the BJP is being seen as an advantage to the saffron party.
Meanwhile, Kazim Khan also wrote to Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, alleging that there was a conspiracy within the party in Uttar Pradesh to shoo away veteran leaders and their families. He said that agents of the BJP and SP were dominating the party and if this continued, he would be denied a ticket in the 2024 Lok Sabha poll.
Kazim Khan also sought an appointment for a meeting with Priyanka so that he and his family could decide whether to continue in politics or not. The veteran leader further wrote that he wanted to contest the Rampur bypoll on a Congress ticket, but some in the party “misled” the leadership and convinced it not to field any candidate.
A five-term MLA, Kazim Khan said, "I am at present associated with the Congress and will remain with the party. Despite an unfavourable political atmosphere against the party in UP, I contested the 2022 assembly polls as the party's candidate."
Interestingly, Kazim Khan's letter comes a day after the BJP candidate for the Rampur bypoll, Ghanshyam Lodhi, reached Khan's Noor Mahal Palace and sought the family's support in the upcoming election.
Polling for Rampur and Azamgarh bypolls will take place on June 23 and counting will be held on June 26.