Since BJP is expected to announce its candidates by March 13, Shah's visit to Azam's citadel on March 15 is being viewed by party insiders as the launch of the party's election campaign in UP.
BJP's prime minister candidate Narendra Modi had recently hit out at the Samajwadi Party government for deploying police to search stolen buffaloes of Azam Khan, who is also regarded as the Muslim face of SP.
Shah will be in Rampur on March 15, confirmed Bhupendra Singh, the zonal BJP president of western UP. Political observers see Shah's visit as BJP's bid to play polarisation card. Samajwadi Party only recently announced Nasid Khan as party's Lok Sabha candidate from Rampur. Khan is said to be a favourite of Mohammad Azam Khan. Cinestar Jayaprada is the sitting MP of the Samajwadi Party in Rampur, but along with Amar Singh, she has now joined the Ajit Singh-led Rashtriya Lok Dal on Monday.
Though BJP has yet to declare its candidate, national vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi along with Dr Nepal Singh are in the race for the party ticket from Rampur. Similarly, Congress has fielded party MLA Kazim Ali Khan.
Primarily a Muslim-dominated district, Shah's plan to begin election campaign is being seen by observers as a bid to play the polarisation card and send out a strong political message of taking Azam Khan head on.
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