With Azam Khan Out of Jail, What’s in Store For Uttar Pradesh Politics?

Mohammad Azam Khan, a founding member of the Samajwadi Party (SP), walked out of Sitapur Jail on Tuesday, September 23, after nearly 23 months of incarceration. His release has ignited a fresh debate about his political future and its larger implications for Uttar Pradesh politics.

Azam Khan is one of the most prominent Muslim faces in the SP and a central figure in the Muslim politics of Uttar Pradesh. Over the years, he has faced more than a hundred legal cases, with many of them filed after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in the state in 2017. 

On September 18, a bench of the Allahabad high court granted him bail in the last pending case related to the Quality Bar land dispute, clearing the way for his release from Sitapur Jail.

His time in jail has been marked by a series of legal entanglements. In 2023, a Rampur MP-MLA court convicted Azam Khan, his wife Tanzeen Fatima and their son Abdullah Azam Khan in a case involving the use of forged birth certificates. The court sentenced all three to seven years in prison for forgery and related offenses. 

Following their convictions, Tanzeen Fatima and Abdullah Azam Khan were granted bail by the Allahabad high court. Despite this, Azam's release was delayed due to other pending cases against him.

For decades, Azam Khan has been a towering figure in Uttar Pradesh politics. He was among the key leaders who helped Mulayam Singh Yadav build the SP, and for nearly 30 years, he remained instrumental in consolidating Muslim support for the party. His family’s political dominance in Rampur district has made them an enduring force, despite the many legal battles they face.

His major legal troubles escalated ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections when he was booked in a hate speech case. That case soon snowballed into a series of other charges, with cases ranging from land grabbing to cheating. These cases also roped in his wife and son, intensifying the family’s legal woes. 

The large number of cases filed against him in recent years has led opposition parties to claim that the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh targeted him as part of a political vendetta.

The legal challenges carried heavy political costs. Both Azam Khan and his son Abdullah were disqualified from the Uttar Pradesh assembly after their convictions. Yet, their influence remained intact. In the 2022 assembly elections, Azam Khan won the Rampur Sadar seat from jail, while Abdullah Azam won the Suar seat, reflecting the strong backing of their supporters in Rampur.

Azam Khan has been convicted in multiple cases, including the fake birth certificate matter and a hate speech case, while being acquitted in others. In many instances, he managed to secure bail or a stay on the convictions. However, some acquittals have been challenged by the state government, ensuring that his legal battles are far from over even after his release.

Will Azam Khan remain in SP?

The political implications of his release are being closely watched. Observers are keen to see whether Azam Khan will continue with the SP or choose a different course ahead of the 2027 state elections. His moves are of particular interest in Muslim-dominated constituencies such as Rampur, Moradabad and parts of western Uttar Pradesh.

Much speculation surrounds his equation with SP president Akhilesh Yadav. Some political commentators suggest that Azam Khan has been unhappy with Akhilesh’s handling of his incarceration, believing that Yadav did not mount a strong enough campaign against the BJP to protest his arrests. 

When asked by reporters whether he was considering leaving the party, Azam Khan replied cryptically, “Ask those who are spreading these things,” leaving his intentions open to interpretation.

Akhilesh Yadav, on the other hand, has publicly welcomed Khan’s release. In a formal statement, he said: “The release of Azam Khan is a matter of relief and joy for him, his family, and all of us, as well as for all those who believe in justice. Heartfelt thanks to the court for upholding our faith in justice. Today, those who file false cases have learned that every lie has a time limit, as does every conspiracy. Those who symbolise social harmony are never liked by the BJP. 

“Azam Khan will once again stand with every neglected, oppressed, distressed, and humiliated person, raise his voice against the oppression of the people by the BJP and its allies, and, as always, become a symbol of the emotional unity of the country and the state, and, with socialist values and principles, continue to march forward on the path of the struggle for social justice.”

Political analysts are divided on whether Azam Khan retains the same influence in the state he once held. Some argue that his role in the party has diminished. 

Lucknow-based commentator Deoki Nandan Mishra notes that the SP managed to win 37 seats in the last Lok Sabha election without him, suggesting that Akhilesh Yadav may not feel dependent on Azam Khan’s political clout. He points to the SP’s new electoral slogan, PDA – Pichda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak (Backwards, Dalits and Minorities) – which he believes has broadened the party’s support base and reduced its reliance on individual leaders.

Others disagree, insisting that Azam Khan remains a significant player. 

Veteran journalist Atul Chandra observes that his next steps will be crucial, saying: “Let’s see what he does now. Will he jump out of the Akhilesh ship or not? If he shifts loyalty, which party he would join would also be interesting.” He argues that Khan continues to carry weight among Muslim voters and that his decisions could alter political equations in key constituencies.

Analyst, Asif Jafri, meanwhile, points to incidents that may have strained relations between Azam Khan and Akhilesh Yadav. For instance, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Akhilesh gave a ticket to Mohibbullah Nadvi from Rampur, reportedly against Azam Khan’s wishes. On the other hand, Akhilesh accommodated Khan’s inputs in some other candidate selections, such as giving a ticket to Ruchi Veera. 

Jafri suggests that while tensions exist, the relationship between the two leaders might endure because the SP needs strong candidates in Rampur to fend off the BJP’s advances.

As Azam Khan steps out of prison and back into public life, the spotlight is firmly on him. His decisions in the months ahead will determine whether he remains within the Samajwadi Party fold or charts a new course, and his moves could significantly reshape the politics of Uttar Pradesh. 

His release marks not just the end of a long incarceration but the beginning of a new chapter in a career defined as much by struggle as by influence.

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