Till a few weeks ago, it seemed that the ties between Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Akhilesh Yadav and party’s tallest Muslim leader Azam Khan, who was then behind bars, had hit an all-time low. But all that seems to be changing within a matter of a few weeks.
Khan, along with his son Abdullah, had a breakfast meeting with Yadav on Friday at the latter’s residence in Lucknow, sending out a signal of bonhomie within the party.
Coming out of Yadav’s house, Khan said, “My association with this family is more than 50 years old. I have also brought my next generation with me [son Abdullah]. Our association goes back generations.”
#WATCH | Shahjahanpur, UP: After being released from Sitapur jail, SP leader Azam Khan says, “Patta patta boota boota haal
hamara jaane hai.”
Regarding speculation about him joining the BSP, he says, “I can’t say anything on this…”
He further says, “I will get treatment, work… pic.twitter.com/hc59suEgye
— ANI (@ANI) September 23, 2025
Why the speculation
Khan came out of prison on September 23 after nearly 23 months in jail. There was intense speculation that all was not well between the two as Yadav had not visited, who was in jail for dozens of cases related to land grabbing and illegal construction linked to his Jauhar University in Rampur.
Stepping out of the jail on September 23, Khanadded fuel to the fire while responding to queries on why no senior SP leader had come to receive him. “Big leaders receive only important people. I am a small man,” he had said.
A few weeks before Khan was released, his wife, Tazeen Fatma, too, had triggered speculation of all not being well between her family and Yadav. On being asked by the media whether she had faith in the SP leadership in her battle to free Khan, she cryptically replied, “I only have faith in Allah.”
न जाने कितनी यादें संग ले आए
जब वो आज हमारे घर पर आए!ये जो मेलमिलाप है यही हमारी साझा विरासत है। pic.twitter.com/hPr56uCLFB
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) November 7, 2025
Why Khan’s support matters
Khan is considered the senior-most Muslim leader of the party and also its founding member. His political stance matters to the SP as the Yadavs and Muslims form the crux of the social base comprising EBCs, Dalits, and Muslims that Akhilesh Yadav is trying to woo in the run-up to the 2027 assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh.
It was therefore amid much media speculation that Yadav travelled to Rampur a few days after Khan’s release to meet him. The meeting lasted for nearly 2 hours, and both came out together and gave media bytes supporting each other.
The Friday meeting at Yadav’s residence seems to have finally laid to rest any speculation of Khan moving in a different direction. Yadav later tweeted pictures of the two leaders and recalled their old bonds.
Khan came to Lucknow to appear before the MP/MLA court in a case related to the misuse of his official letterpad, which was allegedly used to defame the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He was acquitted in the case by the MP/MLA court on Friday.
