Rampur, Key to UP's Minority Votebank, Is Unemployed, Angry | Read

The Rampur constituency in western Uttar Pradesh has been in the headlines over the last weeks for the war of words between its two contenders - Samajwadi Party's Azam Khan and the BJP's Jaya Prada. But what makes the battle for the Rampur so savage is that the constituency, with its 50 per cent Muslim population, is key to the state's minority community vote, since it is expected to influence the members of the community living elsewhere. The area is famous for its 'zardozi' embroidery and most craftsmen and traders are Muslims. Religion aside, voters of Rampur suffer from unemployment. Still, most of its residents belong to low-income groups.