Rampur is a significant Lok Sabha constituency located in the northern part of Uttar Pradesh. It is bordered by the district of Moradabad to the west, the district of Bijnor to the south, and the district of Bareilly to the north.
Known as a stronghold of the Samajwadi Party (SP), Rampur has been dominated by veteran leader Azam Khan, who secured victory in the Lok Sabha elections an impressive 10 times. Notably, Rampur has also witnessed high-profile contests, including actress Jaya Prada's candidacy on a Samajwadi Party ticket in 2004 and 2009.
In the 2019 elections, Azam Khan beat Jaya Prada, who had by then switched to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with a margin of over one lakh votes. However, in the subsequent 2022 Assembly elections, Khan suffered a setback, losing to the BJP.
His disqualification as the Rampur Sadar MLA following a conviction in a fake birth certificate case further shifted the political landscape.
In the ensuing bypolls, the BJP secured victory, and Ghanshyam Singh Lodhi became the current sitting MP from Rampur.
With Azam Khan's absence from the electoral fray due to imprisonment in Sitapur Jail, the SP has fielded cleric Mohibullah Nadvi as its candidate, adding a new dimension to the contest.
Despite its SP dominance, Rampur has seen political diversity over the years. The Congress has emerged victorious in 10 out of 16 elections, while the BJP secured wins in 1991 and 1998, with Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi's victory in 1998 being notable. In 2014, Nepal Singh of the BJP won the seat, marking a significant shift as it was the first time no Muslim Member of Parliament was elected from Uttar Pradesh.
As Rampur gears up for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the first phase on April 19, all eyes are on the evolving political landscape and the contest's outcome in this historically significant constituency.
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