LUCKNOW/MEERUT, Oct. 22 -- With the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections just months away, Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday visited founding member and senior party leader Mohammad Azam Khan at Rampur district jail, delivering a strong public endorsement of the veteran leader's continued importance in state politics.

The visit came amid speculation in recent months that Khan was unhappy with Yadav and the SP leadership, lending significance to the meeting ahead of the assembly polls.

After an approximately hour-long closed-door meeting, Akhilesh told reporters: "I have just met Azam Khan. Azam was, Azam is, and Azam will remain." He added that no family, particularly no political family, had faced as much i...