'Azam the, Azam hain': Will the Khan factor help or haunt Akhilesh in 2027 polls?

NEW DELHI: "Azam the, Azam hain aur Azam rahenge" (Azam was, Azam is and Azam will remain).With that emphatic declaration, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav sought to end speculation about his equation with one of the party's tallest Muslim leaders. But the political reality surrounding Mohammad Azam Khan is far more complicated than the slogan suggests.Nine days after Akhilesh's October 22 visit to Azam at Rampur jail, the veteran leader walked out of prison with his son Abdullah Azam after the Allahabad high court granted them bail in the dual PAN card case.

His freedom, however, lasted barely minutes. The Enforcement Directorate arrested him in a separate money-laundering case linked to Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, and a court subsequently remanded him to 14 days' judicial custody.The dramatic turn has put Akhilesh's declaration to the test. Once among the most powerful figures in the SP, Azam remains central to the party's political calculations in Rampur and its relationship with Muslim voters.

But his legal battles, the erosion of his family's electoral stronghold and the growing challenge from Asaduddin Owaisi have turned his return into a complicated political proposition.As Uttar Pradesh heads towards the 2027 assembly election, Akhilesh faces a question that goes beyond personal loyalty: can he hold on to Azam's political legacy without becoming hostage to its baggage?(function{function e{window.addEventListener(`message`,function(e){if(e.data[`datawrapper-height`]!==void 0){var t=document.querySelectorAll(`iframe`);for(var n in e.data[`datawrapper-height`])for(var r=0,i;i=t[r];r++)if(i.contentWindow===e.source){var a=e.data[`datawrapper-height`][n]+`px`;i.style.height=a}}})}e});The brief freedomAzam and Abdullah had been in custody since November 2025 following their conviction in the dual PAN card case.

The Allahabad high court's order suspended their 10-year sentences and granted them bail, paving the way for their release.However, the ED had a separate case waiting. The agency arrested Azam shortly after he walked out of Rampur jail, while Abdullah was allowed to go home.The money-laundering investigation relates to alleged financial irregularities in the construction of Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur.

The ED has alleged that government funds were diverted for the university's construction. Azam is the founder of the university and heads the trust that runs it. These are allegations being investigated by the agency, not findings of guilt in the present case.Speaking to reporters after his release, Azam alleged that he was being punished for being a Muslim and for establishing a university and schools.

"What is there left to say? What can I say? The law has ceased to exist. Is this the punishment for being a Muslim?" he said.The following day, a special PMLA court in Ghaziabad sent him to 14 days' judicial custody. The court proceedings ensured that the brief release did not translate into a return to political activity.Akhilesh turns arrest into political battleSamajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav responded sharply to the ED action, accusing the BJP government of using cases to repeatedly send an elderly political leader to jail.In a post on X, the SP chief said: "Let today's rulers remember that thrones change when the time changes.

The conspiracy being hatched against Mr Azam Khan through these cases is being watched not just by the entire country, but by the whole world."He added that repeatedly implicating an elderly man in cases and sending him to jail was "an utterly cowardly act", warning that injustice could eventually turn into a calamity for those responsible.The response was significant because it came barely nine days after Akhilesh had visited Azam in jail.

That meeting had already signalled that the SP chief was unwilling to distance himself from the veteran leader despite the legal controversies surrounding him.The ED arrest has now sharpened the political messaging. For Akhilesh, the issue is no longer simply Azam's return to the party's political fold. It is also about positioning the SP against what it describes as the misuse of investigative agencies to target opposition leaders.The BJP, on the other hand, has defended the ED action, maintaining that the law applies equally to everyone.The Muslim vote and the Owaisi challengeFor the Samajwadi Party, the stakes in the Azam Khan question go well beyond the fortunes of one leader.

They concern the party's hold over a crucial section of its traditional support base: Muslim voters. Muslims account for roughly 19% of Uttar Pradesh's population, making them one of the state's largest voting blocs. Their concentration in several constituencies gives them considerable electoral influence. In the 2022 assembly election, the community was a decisive factor in around 70 constituencies where Muslims formed at least 30% of the population.The 2022 results also showed how strongly the community rallied behind the SP.

The party fielded 64 Muslim candidates, of whom 31 won, taking the total number of Muslim MLAs in the assembly to 36, up from 24 in 2017. The BSP fielded 88 Muslim candidates and the Congress 75, while AIMIM fielded more than 60. Yet neither the BSP nor Congress managed to elect a single Muslim MLA. The results suggested that the SP had emerged as the principal beneficiary of Muslim consolidation, even as smaller parties remained relevant in individual constituencies.Azam Khan was central to this political equation.

His influence in Rampur and his standing among sections of the Muslim community gave the SP an important local and regional network. His electoral record, along with that of his wife Tazeen Fatima and son Abdullah Azam, made the family one of the most prominent Muslim political establishments in the state. His absence from active politics has therefore left a space that other political players may seek to occupy.It is this space that AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi is attempting to …