BSP leader Shah Alam joins SP
Hindustan TimesLucknow: In a bid to fortify its position in Azamgarh Lok Sabha seat before the general elections, the Samajwadi Party opened the door to the BSP leader and former MLA Shah Alam alias Guddu Jamali. Guddu Jamali joins Samajwadi Party in the presence of Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow SP chief Akhilesh Yadav is most likely to contest from Azamgarh in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, aiming to replicate his significant victory margin of 2.59 lakh votes from the previous election. In the Azamgarh Lok Sabha bypoll, BJP candidate Dinesh Lal Yadav ‘Nirahua’ emerged victorious, defeating nearest rival Dharmendra Yadav of the SP by over 8,000 votes. In 2014 poll as well, Jamali secured over 2.66 lakh votes from Azamgarh to finish at third place, while SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav won the seat securing 3.40 lakh votes.