Hopeful of getting Azam Khan's support: Rampur SP candidate

I believe all the people will forget small differences and unite with us. Pressed further about getting Azam Khans support, he said he is hopeful of getting everyones support.I am getting the support of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, he added.On the reasons for entering the poll fray, Nadvi said, Maulana Azad used to come and pray in this mosque.

The Samajwadi Party's Rampur candidate for the Lok Sabha polls, Maulana Mohibbullah Nadvi, on Friday said he is hopeful of getting the support of the party's veteran leader Azam Khan in the elections and exuded confidence that setting aside small differences, all party leaders will back him.

The candidature of Nadvi, who is the imam of the mosque adjacent to the Parliament House complex, had run into confusion after Khan's close aide Asim Raja also filed his nomination calling himself a Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate.

The election office on Thursday rejected the candidature of Raja as a SP nominee from Rampur Lok Sabha seat on technical grounds and Nadvi will be the party's candidate in the polls from Rampur.

Asked about Raja's candidature and whether he would get his backing, Nadvi told PTI, ''I believe that the Samajwadi party is like a family and Akhilesh Yadav is the head of family. I believe all the people will forget small differences and unite with us.'' Pressed further about getting Azam Khan's support, he said he is hopeful of getting everyone's support.

''I am getting the support of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians,'' he added.

On the reasons for entering the poll fray, Nadvi said, ''Maulana Azad used to come and pray in this mosque. He had also decided to serve the people of Rampur and he won the polls from there in 1952. This mosque is close to politics as political people come here, people of other religions also come.'' ''This mosque has always given the message of peace, unity and brotherhood,'' he said, adding that he is seeking to spread the same message.

''This is the message I want to give out and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had discussions with me and asked me to disseminate this message among the people,'' Nadvi said.

He asserted that all those who are born in India are brothers.

''Everyone is coming together to save democracy. Rampur is a historical place, it is an example of Hindu-Muslim unity and multi-cultural society and it will show the way,'' Nadvi asserted.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)