Several leaders of the Samajwadi Party have started campaigning for the by-elections in the State but there is a deafening silence on the role of Mohd Azam Khan as the party is undecided whether to use him or not.
A senior party leader told The Pioneer here on Thursday that Azam Khan was still sulking. “He has not come to the party office for the last many days and has not even enquired about his role in the by-election campaign. Frankly speaking, the party does not know what role Azam Khan will play in the by-election,” he said.
The Samajwadi Party leaders are waiting for Akhilesh Yadav’s return from the foreign tour on Saturday.“Bhaiyya (Akhilesh Yadav) will take a call. He will decide how and when to use the services of Azam Khan in the by-election,” the SP leader said.
It is now almost a month that Azam Khan has been sulking after it became evident that Amar Singh may get a re-entry into the Samajwadi Party. He did not attend a function of the Urdu Academy held at the Chief Minister’s residence last month and also “boycotted” the function organised to celebrate the birth anniversary of Janeshwar Mishra.
He is also miffed at the way the Government cancelled the Shia Waqf Board elections at the last minute.“I am too small a leader to talk about these things. I can say that the Samajwadi Party leaders have started election campaign. Mulayam Singh Yadav has deputed 23 ministers for this by-election. He himself will start campaigning from September 7 while Shivpal Singh Yadav has started the campaign,” the Samajwadi Party leader said.
The by-elections to 11 assembly and one parliamentary seats slated for September 13 are very crucial for the Samajwadi Party. The bypolls will be held in Saharanpur, Bijnor, Thakudwara, Noida, Nighasan, lucknow East, Hamirpur, Charkhari, Sirathu, Balha and Rohnia assembly seats. One-fourth of these assembly constituencies have a dominance of Muslims, particularly in western Uttar Pradesh.
In the last lok Sabha election, Azam Khan had toured these areas extensively. In one of the rallies in Greater Noida, he had raked up a communal angle in the Kargil victory.SP spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary, however, said that Azam Khan was the star campaigner of the party.“Azam sahib’s name is in the list of campaigners submitted to the Election Commission.He will start campaigning. Abhi to bahut din baaki hai,” Chaudhary said.