Azam Khan — out of sight but still focus of U.P. campaign

Key to the BJP’s polarising pitch, the MP has the SP’s backing as a victim of the Yogi regime

Despite being in jail, senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, is the focus of campaigning for the second phase of the Uttar Pradesh election.While he continues to be at the centre of the BJP’s communal campaign as in the past, the SP has spoken out in defence of the Rampur Lok Sabha MP.

On Friday, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav addressing a meeting with Mr. Khan’s son Abdullah Azam in Rampur, referred to the 87 cases against Mr. Khan by the Yogi Adityanath government, and said “fake cases don’t have long life.” Mr. Yadav juxtaposed the treatment meted out to Mr. Khan by the government with the bail granted to Ashish Mishra, the son of Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni, in the LakhimpurKheri incident in which he is accused of killing four farmers.