Akhilesh meets Azam Khan in jail; BJP alleges home minister plan

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav met Azam Khan at Rampur district jail on October 22, prompting BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde to allege that the party wanted to appoint Khan Uttar Pradesh's home minister if it won power. India Today reported that the roughly hour-long meeting included discussions on preparations for the 2027 Assembly elections.

Tawde argued that such an appointment would threaten the state's development and revive lawlessness. The report, however, presented no evidence establishing an SP decision or proposal to give Khan the home portfolio. It also did not include a direct SP response to that specific claim.

Khan and his son, Abdullah Azam Khan, were reported to have received seven-year prison sentences following convictions in dual PAN card cases involving discrepancies in dates of birth. Yadav alleged that the BJP government was using false cases to target Khan's family, but the report supplied no evidence substantiating his accusation of political vendetta.

Election discussions covered all 403 seats

Yadav, who travelled to Rampur by helicopter, said his conversation with Khan went beyond the Rampur constituency and covered all 403 Uttar Pradesh Assembly seats. Suggestions from the SP's alliance partners also featured in the discussion, he said.

According to Yadav, Khan did not ask for a particular seat but offered recommendations that the party had noted. Yadav did not disclose the SP's prospective candidate for Rampur.

The SP chief identified defeating the BJP as his party's main electoral aim, invoking the BJP's performance in Uttar Pradesh in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. His remarks placed the jail visit within the party's preparations for the next state contest, without announcing candidates or a ministerial line-up.

Rival accusations over justice and law and order

Tawde referred to the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots while attacking the previous SP government's law-and-order record. In a post on X, he accused Khan of masterminding riots. That accusation was not supported by evidence in the report and should not be read as an established finding against Khan.

The BJP leader also challenged the SP's claim to represent social justice through its PDA formulation, which stands for Pichhde, Dalit and Alpsankhyak—backward classes, Dalits and minorities.

Yadav, for his part, accused the state government of undermining justice and using corrupt officials to implicate Khan. He also alleged a conspiracy to damage Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, an institution associated with Khan. These remained Yadav's allegations; the report did not substantiate them or include a specific government response.

Describing the university as an educational opportunity for young people, Yadav said SP workers would pursue Khan's vision for it. He also said Khan's health had improved, although imprisonment continued to pose difficulties.

Legal challenges and earlier meetings

The report listed convictions involving Khan in hate speech cases in 2022 and 2023, a Chhajlat road-blocking case and a fake birth certificate case in 2023, a Dongarpur house vandalism case in 2024, and a case concerning objectionable remarks about a former Rampur district magistrate in May 2026. It said he had challenged convictions through appeals, without detailing the current status of each proceeding.

Yadav had previously met Khan and his family at their Rampur residence on October 5, 2025, when Khan was briefly on bail. Khan subsequently met Yadav at the SP chief's Lucknow residence on November 7, 2025.