Speculation about Azam joining BSP may be ‘more noise than substance’
Rather than substance, there is more noise in speculation about Azam Khan joining hands with the BSP, said SK Srivastava, a political observer. Khan, among the SP’s founder leaders, was expelled from the party in 2009 due to differences with its founder Mulayam Singh Yadav but returned within a year, he said.
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which has decided to organise rallies to mobilise the party cadre and regain its position in state politics, is also out to send feelers to influential leaders of rival parties, including senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan who walked out of Sitapur jail on Tuesday.
The Allahabad high court granted bail to Khan in the Quality Bar land encroachment case of Rampur district on September 18. There is a buzz in political circles that Khan, annoyed with the SP leadership, may opt to join hands with BSP chief Mayawati.
BSP legislature party leader Uma Shankar Singh stoked the speculation on Monday, stating that the party will welcome Khan if he decides to join it.
He will add to the strength of the BSP as each vote counts in elections, Singh said.
“The final decision about Khan will be taken by the top party leadership,” he further said.
The corridors of power are also abuzz with reports that Khan’s wife Tazeen Fatima met BSP chief Mayawati about a month ago. Both BSP leaders and Khan’s wife are tight-lipped on the matter.
Khan will take a decision on his political future after his release from jail, his family members and close aides said.
Azad Samaj Party (ASP) chief and Nagina MP Chandrashekhar Azad had met Azam Khan in Sitapur jail and his family members in Rampur in November last year.
Khan has considerable influence over the Muslim community in the Rohilkhand region. By joining hands with Azad, he could build Dalit- Muslim bhaichara (brotherhood) in Uttar Pradesh when the ASP is working on Dalit-Muslim alliance in the state for the 2027 assembly election, an ASP leader said.
The BSP is maintaining a close watch on Khan’s supporter’s meetings with ASP leaders.
After successive electoral setbacks, the BSP is working on Dalit-Muslim-OBC formula to regain lost ground in Uttar Pradesh and whether Azam Khan will be in the alliance is not yet clear, said a BSP leader.
When Khan came out of prison in May 2022, there were rumours that he was upset with the SP leadership and could rebel.
But Khan’s relationship with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav was cordial at the time and the two met in Delhi. Later, Akhilesh met Khan in Sitapur jail before the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
Yadav on Monday reiterated that the SP will ensure that Khan gets justice, asserting that all cases against him will be withdrawn after the SP forms the government post the 2027 assembly election.
Rather than substance, there is more noise in speculation about Khan joining hands with the BSP, said SK Srivastava, a political observer.
Khan, among the SP’s founder leaders, was expelled from the party in 2009 due to differences with its founder Mulayam Singh Yadav but returned within a year, he said.
A 10-term former MLA from Rampur, Khan, a prominent Muslim face of the SP, has been dominating the politics of the Rohilkhand region since the early 1990s. His wife Tazeen Fatima was elected to Rajya Sabha as well as assembly on the SP ticket. His son Abdullah Azam was also elected to the assembly on an SP ticket, he added.
