Lucknow: The government house in the Darul Shafa area of Lucknow where senior SP leader and former cabinet minister Azam Khan used to stay before his membership was cancelled has been allotted to Akash Saxena, the newly elected BJP MLA from Rampur. A senior official of the state property department on Friday said Saxena has been allotted house number 34B in Darul Shafa.

Azam used to live in this house before his membership of the Legislative Assembly was revoked after he was sentenced to three years in prison for delivering hate speeches, the official said. The officer informed that it is a normal procedure of the Vidhan Sabha that the residence of the outgoing MLA of a seat is allotted to the newly elected MLA from that seat. If the new MLA wants to change his residence, then it can be considered.

Meanwhile, Saxena said in a conversation with PTI that he has received information about the allotment of the house to him in Lucknow. Saxena defeated Azam Khan's close SP candidate Asim Raja in the Rampur Sadar Assembly by-election in the results announced on December 8. The seat fell vacant after Azam Khan was disqualified from the Legislative Assembly after the court sentenced him to three years in prison for delivering hate speeches. (PTI)