Political equations are changing rapidly for the Samajwadi Party (SP) amid the by-elections in Uttar Pradesh, and in this environment, the political meaning of party chief Akhilesh Yadav’s meeting with Azam Khan’s family in Rampur is becoming deeper. There is discussion regarding this meeting that SP can use this opportunity to unite the Muslim vote bank, especially in those seats where Muslim voters play a decisive role. The dispersion of Muslim votes in the by-elections may prove costly for the SP, and in such a situation, Azam Khan’s family may become an important link for the SP in solving the political equation.
After holding an election rally at Kundarki assembly seat in Moradabad on October 11, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav will go straight to Rampur, where he will meet Azam Khan’s family at his house located near Johar University. Akhilesh Yadav will meet Azam Khan’s wife Tajin Fatma, his son Abdullah Azam and other family members. For some time now, SP had not taken any significant public step in the case of Azam Khan, but now that the by-election situation has become critical, Akhilesh Yadav is trying to strengthen his political hold among the Muslim community by meeting Azam Khan’s family. Trying to.
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Azam Khan, who is considered a strong Muslim leader of SP, is lodged in Sitapur jail for the last one year. His son Abdullah Azam is also in jail, and his wife Tajin Fatma is out on bail. Since last year, no big leader of SP has gone to meet Azam Khan or his family, but during the by-elections, Akhilesh Yadav has taken this step, which has also become a political compulsion in view of the danger of division of Muslim votes. There is also discussion in the political circles regarding this meeting that Akhilesh Yadav is making this effort to keep the Muslim vote bank united, which is very important for SP in the by-elections.
This time by-elections are being held on a total of nine assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh, out of which six seats are in Muslim dominated areas. Three of these seats are from western Uttar Pradesh, where Azam Khan has had influence. Especially the challenge for SP is big in Kundarki seat, because there are large number of Muslim voters here and many other parties fielding Muslim candidates have created a big political crisis for SP. From BSP to AIMIM and Chandrashekhar’s party, they have created the danger of division of votes by fielding Muslim candidates.
Dispersion of Muslim votes can prove to be an alarm bell for SP. If votes are divided, it will have a direct impact on SP’s electoral prospects, especially in those seats where the Muslim community plays a decisive role. SP has fielded Muslim candidates in areas like Kundarki, Sisamau and Meerapur, and it is almost impossible to win these seats without Muslim votes. In the last elections, SP had performed well on these seats with the help of Muslim votes, but this time the equations have changed.
This by-election has also become a big opportunity for SP amid polarization in politics. Seeing the resentment of the Muslim community, Akhilesh Yadav is now trying to woo this community in his favor. For this, he has decided to meet Azam Khan’s family, so that Muslim votes can be united and SP’s position can be strengthened in the elections. Especially in seats like Kundarki and Sisamau, where the Muslim community is in large numbers, it has become very important for SP to consolidate Muslim votes.
In this context, Shaukat Ali, State President of AIMIM, says that Azam Khan and his sons have been in jail for a year, but SP has neither made any effort for their release nor any movement in support of Azam Khan. Driven. He said that Azam Khan is being punished only for being a Muslim, and SP has maintained silence on this issue. It has also been alleged that SP’s silence has increased dissatisfaction among the Muslim community, and that is why now Akhilesh Yadav has to meet Azam Khan’s family and give a message to the Muslim community.
Akhilesh Yadav’s meeting with Azam Khan’s family is being seen as a political move. It had become necessary for him to give a message to the Muslim community that SP is ready to protect their interests. This meeting is not only an attempt to consolidate Muslim votes, but it can also be an attempt to strengthen the political image of SP, which can prove important for its success in the by-elections.
SP had performed well from Rampur in the Lok Sabha elections, but since then, SP’s silence in the Azam Khan case had made it a victim of criticism. Now that the time for by-elections has come, Akhilesh Yadav has understood that it is necessary to resolve the questions arising within the Muslim community. If SP is successful in giving a positive message about Azam Khan’s family, then it can get direct benefits in the form of Muslim voters.
However, it will not be easy for Akhilesh Yadav, because it is a big challenge to overcome the resentment of the Muslim community. Despite this, SP is trying with all its might to win this election contest. By meeting Azam Khan’s family, SP can further strengthen its political steps in this by-election, and can take an important strategic step to attract Muslim votes in its favor. It remains to be seen whether Akhilesh Yadav is successful in bringing success to his party this time.
