BJP's Brijesh Singh Rawat is the sitting MLA from Deoband. He had defeated BSP's Majid Ali by over 29,000 votes in 2017. AIMIM has fielded Umar Madani while SP has nominated Kartikeya Rana.
The ex-IPS officer Ram Narayan Singh, on whose premises the raid was conducted by the IT Dept, is said to be closely associated with the Samajwadi Party.
In 2013, when riot victims were battling extreme cold and lack of basic needs at relief camps, the Akhilesh government was busy in Saifai festival. Mulayam Yadav had denied the hardship faced by riot victims, calling it a rumour by opposition.