LUCKNOW, Oct. 8 -- Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav will meet senior party leader Mohammad Azam Khan at the latter's residence in Rampur district on Wednesday. This will be the first meeting between the two post Azam's release from Sitapur jail on September 23 after spending almost two years behind bars. A few days ago, SP leader and former UP minister Arvind Singh Gope had called on Azam Khan in Rampur at the behest of the party. A 10-time MLA and a former MP, Azam Khan has been a close aide of SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav. He still holds political relevance in minority dominated pockets of western Uttar Pradesh. The Samajwadi Party says the visit reflects the personal bonding between Azam Khan and Akhilesh Yadav. However, experts feel that Yadav is reviving the original Muslim-Yadav combination that became the traditional voting bloc for the party during the era of SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav. Earlier, Akhilesh Yadav had met Azam Khan in jail before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Besides, senior party leader Shivpal Singh Yadav had met Khan in jail. Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Azad had also met Khan in jail several times. As per a programme issued by his party, Yadav will leave for Bareilly from Lucknow at around 10:30am on Wednesday. After reaching Bareilly airport, he will leave for Azam Khan's residence in Rampur at around 11:30am. The SP chief will spend around an hour at Khan's house between 12:30pm to 1:30pm. He will fly from Bareilly airport to Lucknow by a helicopter at around 3pm. Why keeping Azam in good humour crucial for SP? Speaking on the issue, senior journalist Ratan Mani Lal says, "It can't be denied that Azam Khan has been the founding member of the Samajwadi Party and he was among the top five leaders who steered the SP from a small outfit to a big political party. The late Mulayam Singh Yadav was the undisputed leader of Yadavs, while Azam Khan was the leader of Muslims in Samajwadi Party back then." "The MY combination paid dividends to the SP earlier. However, after 2014, the combination didn't remain that effective. Even Akhilesh Yadav had tried to put himself in a 'pro-Hindu' mould. However, now after realising that he can't afford to lose his core voters and when there is an incumbency against the BJP government, there is a hope for other parties," Lal opines. "So now after purposely ignoring Azam Khan for many years now, he must have realised that the traditional strength of the Samajwadi Party still lies in a strong MY foundation," he says. More of a personal meeting, says party On the other hand, SP spokesperson Ameeque Jamei says it is a personal meeting between the two leaders rather than a political one. "Everyone knows that big voices of opposition parties were silenced by ruling BJP. This included Azam Khan and Hemant Soren, etc. Due to this, Azam Khan had to spend many years in prison. This kind of behaviour didn't even happen during the Emergency," he alleges. "Akhilesh Ji has always respected Azam Sahab as he is like a fatherly figure to him. I am sure Azam Khan will give his guidance to him for 2027 polls as Akhilesh Ji has always sought advice from him," Jamei adds. Earlier, speaking to the media in Lucknow a few days back after Khan's release, Akhilesh Yadav had said, "Respected Azam Khan Sahab is a founder member of the party. We were hopeful that he would get justice. All the cases against him will be taken back if the SP comes back to power in UP." While responding to rumours of his switching over to the Bahujan Samaj Party, Azam Khan had said after his release: "I am not up for sale. I am not a commodity to be bought and sold. We have proven that one can earn people's love and respect without being up for sale." When asked whether senior SP leaders had met him, he had said, "I am not a big man, I am just a big khadim (servant)." Regarding the withdrawal of cases against him, he commented, "Perhaps there will be no need for that. I cannot predict the government formation in 2027."...