BSP chief Mayawati had called a review meeting on Sunday after the defeat in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. During the review meeting itself, Mayawati announced the BSP candidate for the by-election to Azamgarh Lok Sabha seat. Former MLA Shah Alam alias Guddu Jamali will be the BSP’s candidate for the Azamgarh Lok Sabha by-election. Guddu Jamali has been elected BSP MLA from Mubarakpur seat of Azamgarh twice from 2012 to 2017 and 2017 to 2022.
Guddu Jamali has also held the post of BSP’s Legislature Party leader in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly. But shortly before the election, he was sacked from the party by the BSP supremo due to his anti-party activities. Guddu Jamali contested the 2022 assembly elections on an AIMIM ticket, but lost to the SP candidate. After the election, Guddu Jamali again joined BSP.
Declaring Guddu Jamali as the candidate, BSP supremo Mayawati said, “Despite the adverse circumstances at present, BSP still sticks to its policy of Sarvajan Hitay and Sarvajan Sukhay. Keeping this in mind, it has been decided to field Shah Alam alias Guddu Jamali in the Azamgarh Lok Sabha by-election.” BSP state president Bhim Rajbhar has been retained in his post after Mayawati’s review meeting. Along with this, the party has made former MP Babu Munkad Ali, Rajkumar Gautam and former MLC Vijay Pratap in-charge of the state.
The Azamgarh Lok Sabha seat fell vacant on March 22 when SP chief Akhilesh Yadav left it to retain the Karhal assembly seat. Akhilesh Yadav contested for the first time from Karhal assembly seat and won the election. The Election Commission has not yet announced the date for the Lok Sabha bypolls.