BJP Alliance Fields First Muslim Candidate in UP, to Rival Abdullah Azam in Suar

Haidar Ali Khan is the first candidate announced by Apna Dal (S).

Despite there having been no official announcement so far on the the seat-sharing arrangement, Apna Dal (S) — an ally of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — on Sunday, 23 January, announced Haidar Ali Khan as their candidate from Suar in Rampur, Western Uttar Pradesh (UP). He will be pitting against Samajwadi Party's Abdullah Azam.

(Image Courtesy: The Quint)

Despite there having been no official announcement so far on the the seat-sharing arrangement for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, Apna Dal (S) – an ally of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – on Sunday, 23 January, announced Haidar Ali Khan as its candidate from Suar in western Uttar Pradesh's Rampur.

Khan is the first candidate announced by Apna Dal (S), as well as the first Muslim candidate to be fielded by the alliance.

He will be pitted against Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Abdullah Azam, who is the son of jailed MP Azam Khan. Previously, Abdullah Azam had been elected from Suar, but the Allahabad High Court had cancelled his election on the grounds that he was under 25 at the time of filing his nomination. His case has since been pending in the Supreme Court, and the Suar seat has remained vacant.

Who is Haidar Ali Khan?

Haidar Ali Khan’s grandfather Zulfiqar Ali Khan was a five-term Congress MP from Rampur, and his father Nawab Kazim Ali Khan is a four-term MLA, and presently the Congress party’s candidate from Rampur.

Khan himself was previously named the Congress candidate from Suar, before he defected and became the candidate for Apna Dal (S).

The Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh are slated to begin on 10 February and culminate on 10 March.