SP candidates say Azam and other factors led to tally dip

The hustings witnessed the party tally dive to 24 seats from 37 in the last general elections.

At a review meeting with all candidates two days ago, the party leadership got feedback that the Kalyan Singh factor was one of the reasons for the Muslim vote split in UP, apart from the presence of parties like the Ulema Council and the Peace Party, specially in eastern districts, that had confused the community and had cut into the Muslim support of the party, party sources said.

Further, the complaints of Azam Khan against Kalyan Singh -- trying to bring back focus on the Ayodhya temple issue -- had affected the party's fortunes on some seats, they said.

"Some organisational shortcomings have also come to light", they said, without elaborating.

Through the one-to-one meeting with defeated candidates, SP president Mulayam Singh Yadav is trying to find out if there had been any indiscipline in the party fold and also the 'real effect' of the Kalyan Singh factor.

A future strategy would be formulated once the reasons cited by the candidates are discussed, the party sources said.

Yadav has convened a meeting of the SP legislature party on May 25 to talk to his MLAs in detail.

Yadav, who has also been elected to the Lok Sabha from Mainpuri in this election, has to decide whether he sould retain his membership in the state Assembly or join the Lok Sabha as an MP.