Why Akhilesh Yadav Met Azam Khan Ahead of UP Polls 2027

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav’s meeting with veteran party leader Azam Khan at Rampur district jail has renewed attention on the relationship between the two leaders and the SP’s political strategy ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

After meeting the incarcerated leader on Thursday, Akhilesh declared, “Azam they, Azam hain aur Azam rahenge” (Azam was, is, and will remain). The statement signalled his continued recognition of Khan’s place in the party, particularly among supporters in Rampur and sections of the Muslim community.

The visit comes amid renewed political activity by Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) in Uttar Pradesh. It also highlights the importance of the Azam Khan faction in Rampur, where local political loyalties have remained significant despite setbacks for the veteran leader and his family.

Why Akhilesh Yadav Met Azam Khan in Rampur Jail

Local SP leaders have pointed to two possible political considerations behind Akhilesh Yadav’s visit: Owaisi’s criticism of the Samajwadi Party over its treatment of Muslim leaders and the continued influence of Azam Khan’s supporters in Rampur.

At an AIMIM rally in Rampur on October 18, Owaisi accused Akhilesh of prioritising Yadav voters while using Muslims primarily to secure votes. He also highlighted Azam Khan’s circumstances, questioning the difference in how the SP leadership responds when leaders from different communities are imprisoned.

Owaisi’s remarks brought renewed attention to a politically sensitive question for the SP: whether its support among Muslim voters will remain consolidated or whether competing parties can attract voters dissatisfied with its leadership.

An SP leader, speaking about the potential impact of Owaisi’s campaign, said the AIMIM chief could use sympathy for Azam Khan to draw Muslim votes away from the SP-Congress alliance. According to the leader, such a shift could affect the alliance’s prospects in Rampur and neighbouring districts of western Uttar Pradesh.

These comments reflect concerns within the SP rather than an established shift in voter preferences. The extent of Owaisi’s influence on the 2027 election will depend on developments during the campaign and voter responses across constituencies.

Azam Khan’s Influence in Rampur Remains a Factor

Despite multiple criminal cases, convictions and periods in jail, Azam Khan continues to command support among sections of the SP’s local organisation and his political followers in Rampur.

An SP leader described Khan as the party’s minority face and argued that his influence has helped sustain the party’s position in the district. The leader also warned that if Khan’s supporters contest as rebels against official SP candidates in the Assembly elections, they could complicate the party’s campaign.

SP spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary offered a different emphasis, saying Akhilesh’s visit was driven by an emotional connection with Khan. He described the veteran leader as a respected figure who retains influence in Rampur and surrounding areas.

The distinction matters because Khan’s influence is not limited to his personal electoral prospects. His relationships with local workers and supporters could also affect candidate selection, campaign coordination and the SP’s ability to manage internal differences.

Will Azam Khan and Abdullah Azam Contest the 2027 Elections?

Azam Khan and his son Abdullah Azam face a major legal hurdle ahead of the next Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. Both have been convicted in cases that have affected their eligibility to contest elections.

SP Rampur district president Ajay Sagar said both leaders had approached the appropriate courts seeking a stay on their convictions, with the aim of restoring their eligibility to contest in 2027.

Their eventual eligibility will depend on the relevant court proceedings and the applicable election laws. Until those issues are resolved, their participation as candidates remains uncertain.

Sagar said the SP had not finalised candidates for the Rampur and Suar Assembly constituencies and that the decisions would be made by Azam Khan. His remarks underline the continued importance of Khan’s position within the local party organisation, even while his own political future remains subject to legal developments.

Azam Khan’s wife, Tazeen Fatima, had also met Akhilesh in Lucknow a few weeks before the jail visit. However, a senior SP leader expressed doubts about whether the family could maintain the same level of political influence without Azam and Abdullah directly participating in electoral politics.

How Azam Khan and His Family Lost Ground in Rampur

Azam Khan was elected from the Rampur Assembly constituency for the 10th time in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh elections. His son Abdullah Azam was also elected from the neighbouring Suar constituency in the same election.

Both subsequently lost their legislative positions following convictions and disqualifications, triggering by-elections that marked setbacks for the family’s political network.

In December 2022, the SP fielded Asim Raja, a close associate of Azam Khan, in the Rampur Assembly by-election. He lost to BJP candidate Akash Saxena, who had previously contested against Azam Khan in the 2022 election.

The family suffered another setback in May 2023, when Apna Dal (Sonelal) candidate Shafeek Ahmad Ansari won the Suar by-election against SP candidate Anuradha Chauhan following Abdullah Azam’s disqualification.

These results reduced the family’s direct electoral presence in the district. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance subsequently held four of Rampur district’s five Assembly constituencies, according to the account of the district’s electoral outcomes in the source material.

Nevertheless, Azam Khan’s supporters remain relevant to the SP’s local political calculations. Their continued loyalty to him does not automatically translate into support for every candidate nominated by the party, making the relationship between Khan and the SP leadership an important organisational issue.

Mohibullah’s Lok Sabha Victory Highlighted Tensions Within the SP

The 2024 Lok Sabha election added another dimension to the relationship between Azam Khan’s camp and the SP leadership. Party candidate Mohibullah won the Rampur parliamentary constituency despite opposition from Azam Khan and his supporters, according to the source account.

The result demonstrated that the SP could win the seat without the support of Khan’s faction. It also gave the party leadership a reason to assess how much influence the veteran leader continues to exercise over local voters and party workers.

A senior Muslim leader in the SP argued that the party could rely on its broader Muslim support base rather than depend exclusively on the Azam Khan family. However, that assessment represents the leader’s view and does not establish how voters will behave in the next Assembly election.

For Akhilesh Yadav, the challenge is to maintain the party’s broader coalition while managing relationships with influential regional leaders whose supporters may not always follow the official party line.

Azam Khan’s Long History With the Samajwadi Party

At 78, Azam Khan is among the founding members of the Samajwadi Party and serves as its national general secretary. His political career began before the SP was established in 1992, when he had already been elected to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly four times on tickets associated with different political parties.

His prominence increased during the period when SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav led the state government. Mulayam appointed Khan a cabinet minister with multiple portfolios in each of the three governments he headed as chief minister.

Khan retained a prominent position after Akhilesh Yadav became chief minister following the SP’s victory in the 2012 Assembly elections. He was assigned eight portfolios and was widely regarded as one of the party’s senior leaders.

His long association with the SP helps explain why his relationship with Akhilesh remains politically significant despite his legal troubles and the electoral setbacks suffered by his family.

What the Rampur Jail Meeting Means for the 2027 UP Elections

Akhilesh Yadav’s meeting with Azam Khan carries significance beyond a personal interaction between two senior party figures. It comes at a time when the SP is preparing for the next Uttar Pradesh Assembly election and facing questions about its relationship with Muslim voters, internal factional dynamics and the potential expansion of competing parties.

Owaisi’s criticism has placed the SP’s treatment of Muslim leaders under renewed scrutiny, while Azam Khan’s continuing local support gives the issue a specific political dimension in Rampur. At the same time, the family’s electoral setbacks and the 2024 Lok Sabha result show that its influence cannot be assumed to determine every contest.

The immediate questions concern whether Azam Khan and Abdullah Azam will regain eligibility to contest elections, how the SP selects candidates in Rampur and Suar, and whether Khan’s supporters will work with the party leadership during the campaign.

Akhilesh’s declaration that “Azam was, is, and will remain” a significant figure reinforces the message that the veteran leader has not been written off by the SP leadership. Whether that political relationship translates into coordinated support during the 2027 election will depend on legal developments, candidate decisions and the choices made by local voters.