(MENAFN- IANS) Rampur (Uttar Pradesh), Oct 8 (IANS) Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday met senior party leader Azam Khan at his residence in Rampur and described him as“the heartbeat of the party.” He signaled a renewed effort to strengthen unity within the SP ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

This was Akhilesh's first meeting with Azam Khan since the veteran leader's release from jail after nearly 23 months.

The meeting, held at Khan's residence inside the Jauhar University campus in Rampur, came amid speculation that the former minister had grown disillusioned with the SP leadership.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Akhilesh Yadav said,“Azam Khan is the heartbeat of the party. He has been implicated in false cases. The BJP has filed so many cases against him and his family that their names should be recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records.”

He further said that under the current BJP government, the PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, and Alpasankhyak) communities feel humiliated and alienated.

“Azam Khan is a senior leader, like a strong tree that has stood firm despite storms. He and his family have faced the maximum number of false cases among political families. They deserve justice,” Akhilesh said, adding that the Samajwadi Party would return to power in 2027 and continue raising the voice of the PDA communities.

When asked if he is disillusioned with the Samajwadi Party, Azam Khan said, "Where did you get this information?"

Security was tightened in Rampur for Akhilesh's visit. Police personnel were deployed around Jauhar University and Azam Khan's residence, and media access was restricted.

Despite this, SP workers gathered in large numbers, raising slogans in support of both leaders.

Political observers view the meeting as a strategic move to consolidate the Muslim vote bank in western Uttar Pradesh, particularly in Rampur, Moradabad, and Amroha, where Azam Khan wields considerable influence.

Azam Khan, a founding member of the SP and a close confidant of late Mulayam Singh Yadav, was imprisoned for nearly two years in multiple cases. His return to active politics and rapprochement with Akhilesh Yadav is being seen as a symbolic gesture of reconciliation and revival within the party ranks.

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