Would've been hanged by Modi govt if I had done anything wrong: Azam Khan

Samajwadi Party candidate (SP) from Rampur Azam Khan on Tuesday said the Narendra Modi government would have hanged him by now from Qutub Minar, had he done anything wrong.

Khan, who has 10 pending criminal cases against him, told media here, "My life is very transparent. If I would have done anything wrong in my entire life, the Modi government would have hanged me long time back from Qutub Minar," after casting his vote on Tuesday.

"I run schools to help poor families who could not finance the education of their children. We only take Rs 20 from each student. I have opened colleges and universities, which are known for maintaining discipline and peace across the world. But the government deliberately filed cases against me and constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT)," he said.

Criticising the government and district officer for not addressing the EVM issue in the state, Khan said, "Since morning 300 EVMs were reported to have technical glitches. We have seen that in every election, district administration tries to ignore the issue saying that it would see to it later."

He also claimed that he has a clip wherein the district officer, after meeting with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, said, Yogi is his "god" and he can do anything for him.

"He (district officer) has openly urged people to vote for Yogi. In the video, he can also be heard urging voters to support women candidates as there are fewer women in the Parliament."

Nine-time MLA from Rampur, Azam Khan is contesting against BJP's Jaya Prada and Congress' Sanjay Kapoor.

Last week, Khan was banned from campaigning for 72 hours by the Election Commission for his remarks against Jaya Prada.

In his election affidavit, Khan declared his FY18 income as Rs 5.76 lakh, including two cars and real estate valued at Rs 40.17 lakh while his wife, Tazeen Fatima, owns 200 grams of gold valued at Rs 6.6 lakh and property worth Rs 2.71 crore.

Polling in the third phase is being held in as many as 116 constituencies spread across 13 states and two Union Territories.

In Uttar Pradesh, Moradabad, Rampur, Sambhal, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etah, Badaun, Aonla, Bareilly and Pilibhit are witnessing polling. There are 120 candidates, including 14 women, in the fray while more than 1.76 crore people are expected to cast their vote.

As per the seat-sharing agreement, the SP is contesting on 37 seats and the BSP on 38. Three seats (Mathura, Muzaffarpur, and Baghpat) have been given to the RLD.