Haider Ali Khan, NDA's sole Muslim candidate in UP, loses

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance's sole Muslim candidate in Uttar Pradesh, Haider Ali Khan, lost the Assembly elections from Suar seat where Samajwadi Party's Mohammad Abdullah Azam Khan won by a margin of more than 60,000 votes.

Haider, fielded by Apna Dal (Sonelal), bagged nearly 65,000 votes, far lesser than the over 1.25 lakh votes polled in favour of Azam Khan. The BSP, with less than 14,000 votes, came a distant third.

Haider is the heir to the Noor Mahal palace and is the grandson of the last Nawab of Rampur, Syed Raza Ali Khan. He joined the Apna Dal (S), led by Union Minister of State Anupriya Patel, in January this year.

A graduate from the University of Essex, UK, Haider was the Congress candidate from the same seat in the previous elections. He won the polls, but the Allahabad High Court in 2019 declared his election null and void on the ground that he was not of the minimum age of 25 when he filed his nomination.

Haider's father Nawab Kazim0 is still with the Congress and was the party's candidate from Rampur seat.

The BJP contested the UP elections in alliance with the Apna Dal (S) and Nishad Party.