Jaya Prada thanks Azam for Rampur victory

A day after winning the Rampur seat,SP candidate Jaya Prada seemed to regard colleague Azam Khans campaigaining against her as a blessing in disguise.

Had Azam Khan not opposed my candidature and the party,the people of Rampur would not have taken over the reins of my campaign in their hands. I did nothing; it8217;s the people of Rampur who fought the election for me and gave a befitting reply to those opposing me and the Samajwadi Party, said Jaya Prada. Had Azam Khan not opposed me,I would have lost. Unko mera shukriya aur salam I thank and salute him.

I contested the 2004 election from Rampur at the insistence of Azam Khan,but in 2009,he preferred to heap humiliation on me. But his abuses and curses turned into blessings for me. I will always regard him as my elder brother, she added.

However,her supporters differed,with Maulana Farhat Jamali,Sajda-nashin of Dargah of Hazrat Hafiz Shah Jamal Ullah at Rampur,saying it was impossible for us to ignore the good work done by her.