Lucknow, Oct 29 (IANS): Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP) on Saturday released a list of 40-star campaigners for the upcoming bypolls in nine Assembly seats of Uttar Pradesh, which includes jailed party leader Azam Khan.

The inclusion of jailed party veteran Azam Khan in SP’s star campaigners list has led to criticism from within the party ranks, as some leaders have questioned the party’s ‘duplicity and cunningness’ in its attempt to corner Muslim votes.

Virendra Goyal, former district president of Samajwadi Party in Rampur has raised questions on the party’s intentions to include Azam Khan’s name in the list of star campaigners.

Putting his own party in the dock, Virendra Goyal said that the SP wants to only garner Muslim votes by making Azam Khan, the star campaigner in by-elections.

“SP leaders did not take any concrete steps in support of Azam Khan despite him being in jail for long. If the SP leadership really wanted to support Azam Khan, it would have fought for him from the Parliament to the streets. Azam Khan's wife Tanzin Fatima is alone at home but no SP leader came to inquire about her well-being,” Virendra Goyal said.

He further said that naming Azam Khan as a star campaigner in the by-elections was nothing but a conspiracy to rally the Muslim vote bank.

“Akhilesh-led party never supported Azam Khan in his difficult times but today, they want the votes of the Muslim community,” he said.

Azam Khan, former cabinet minister and ten-time MLA has been convicted in multiple cases over alleged graft and corruption cases and is currently languishing in jail.

Akhilesh Yadav, wife Dimple Yadav, SP’s general secretary Shivpal Yadav and Jaya Bachchan are among the leading party’s star campaigners for bypolls.

By-elections in nine Assembly constituencies of Uttar Pradesh are slated for November 13.

The seats undergoing bypolls include Sisamau, Katehri, Kundarki, and Karhal (won by SP), Khair, Phulpur, and Ghaziabad (won by BJP), Manjhwa (NISHAD), Meerapur in Muzaffarnagar (won by RLD). The counting of votes will take place on November 23.