Amar politics queers pitch for SP star in Rampur

It’s not even noon in Rampur, but the battle of the begums is in full force.

On one hand, there is the ruler of the former Rampur state, Begum Noor Bano of the Congress, fighting to win back the kingdom she lost to the SP’s Jaya Prada in 2004. On the other is Jaya Prada, the quintessential outsider from the south of the Vindhyas.

The politics of the actor-turned-politician special friend of SP top honcho Amar Singh has led to a revolt from within. SP workers in Rampur are still pleading with the leadership to replace her. Not only because she is an “outsider”, but also because she is seen as Amar Singh’s pawn in a larger game aimed at undermining kingmaker and seven-time MLA from Rampur Azam Khan.

Jaya’s proximity to Amar Singh has not only turned Azam Khan into a deadly foe, but given the pristine Noor Bano a real chance of wresting back her seat.

Sandwiched between Moradabad and Bareilly, Rampur is on the main highway from Delhi to Lucknow and home to a substantial Muslim population, the majority amongst them being Pathans who trace their roots to Afghanistan.

And now it’s Jaya Prada who has to bear their brunt. Azam Khan has been conspicuous by his absence from the campaign so far and remains inaccessible to the media. But his presence can be felt in most places in Rampur, most of all at the SP office on Topkhana road in heart of the city.

SP workers idle away their time at The Jauhar office building of the party, with absolutely no trace of any election related activity. This is in contrast to the scene in 2004 when it was the nerve centre of Jaya Prada’s electoral debut. Azam Khan was the man managing her election. But this is 2009 and much has changed.

Azam Khan is now plotting her defeat from behind the scenes. His supporters however make no pretence. “For us, SP means Azam Khan. We toiled day and night to ensure Jaya’s victory because he had threatened to leave the city for good if she did not win. Now, we will bring her patrons and her down to their knees,” says Ruhi Khan an SP worker.

Azam Khan wields considerable clout amongst the 42% Muslim electorate of Rampur and has been an MLA from the constituency for seven terms and is known to be an extremely stubborn man. SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has been trying to mollify him for the past two months but has failed to bring him around.

Though Azam Khan himself has said little in public, it’s a known in Rampur that he is leaning towards the Congress candidate Noor Bano. “There is absolutely no doubt now that we will revert to voting for the Congress,” says Misruddin Khan a local businessman.

Begum Noor Bano herself refuses to comment on internal feud raging within the SP. Sitting in the living room of her stately residence in Rampur, she says she is not even factoring in the division in the SP camp.

“I have been on the road ever since the elections were announced. Rampur has learnt its lesson and will not repeat its mistake of 2004,” she says before rushing off for workers meeting 30 km away.