After bypoll no-show, Akhilesh to visit Azamgarh to meet jailed Ramakant

The SP chief’s Azamgarh visit is aimed at ensuring that the party’s core Yadav vote bank remains intact in the Azamgarh belt, party sources said. Akhilesh was elected from the Azamgarh seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, when he had defeated Nirahua.

The SP’s Azamgarh district president Hawaldar Yadav said Akhilesh will meet Ramakant in the Azamgarh district jail on August 23, even as he claimed that the meeting would not have any connection with the party’s bypoll loss.

Ramakant Yadav, who is currently an SP MLA from Phoolpur Pawai in Azamgarh district, had surrendered to a local court a few weeks ago in a 24-year-old case of attempted murder. Adding to his woes, the court had sent him to the judicial custody in connection with a spurious liquor case registered in February this year.

According to the police, Ramakant, a five-term MLA from Phoolpur Pawai and a four-time MP from Azamgarh, has been a history-sheeter with around two dozen cases against him. Though his son Arun Kumar Yadav was the incumbent BJP MLA from Phoolpur Pawai, the SP fielded Ramakant from the seat in the 2022 Assembly elections, even as the saffron party denied ticket to Arun. The SP’s move to cash in on his grip on the constituency paid off.

The SP has defended Ramakant and accused the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government of “harassing” him. “If Akhilesh meets Ramakant in the jail that will send a positive message to Yadav voters and the party workers, who are demoralised after losing Lok Sabha bypolls to the BJP. Ramakant belongs to a strong political family that has influence over Azamgarh and adjoining districts of eastern UP. His eldest brother Lallan Prasad is a seven-time pradhan of Sarwa village in Azamgarh while his second brother Umakant Yadav is the former MP of Machalisahar in Jaunpur district. Showing solidarity with him, is important for the party’s vote base”, said a SP leader.

In May this year, Akhilesh had visited the Azamgarh district jail to meet over a dozen party workers who were lodged in connection with various cases related to the Assembly elections. He had gone to meet them after drawing criticism from the camp of senior party leader Azam Khan for not meeting him and helping him come out of jail.

Since then, Akhilesh has not visited Azamgarh so far, not even during the bypoll. In fact, among the principal reasons listed by local SP leaders for the party’s humiliating losses were included his curious decision to stay away from the campaigning in both Azamgarh and

Rampur, Azam’s home turf. The SP chief had then not stepped out for campaigning even as party leaders from Azamgarh and Rampur kept urging him to address at least one public meeting in each constituency.

Of around 18 lakh voters in the Azamgarh parliamentary seat, there are about three lakh Yadav voters, a majority of whom are believed to be the SP’s supporters. Due to the sizeable voters belonging to the Dalit, Muslim and Yadav communities in the Azamgarh belt, both the SP and the BSP have won four times each from the constituency in the last 10 elections.

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The BJP had first won from the seat in 2009 when Ramakant Yadav was its candidate. In the past 10 elections, Yadav candidates have been the winner eight times and Muslims twice.

On Friday, Akhilesh’s estranged uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav had written an open letter to all “Yaduvanshis”, saying that every time a Kans humiliates and dethrones his father to occupy his position, Lord Krishna takes incarnation to punish him and restore dharma. He also attributed his move to found his breakaway outfit, Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia), to destiny. Shivpal had contested the Assembly poll on the SP ticket and won but again parted ways with Akhilesh after the polls.