Party MLAs Azam Khan and Shivpal Singh Yadav did not attend the legislature party meeting convened at the Samajwadi Party (SP) headquarters on Sunday, a day before the session of the 18th Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh began.

SP leaders said Khan, who was recently released on bail from Sitapur jail, is in Rampur and could not attend the meeting due to health reasons.

Besides Khan, SP MLA from Rampur, his son and MLA Abdullah Azam and Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) chief Shivpal Singh Yadav also did not attend the legislature party meeting.

Abdullah Azam has won the election from Swar assembly constituency of Rampur district.

Senior SP leader Ravidas Mehrotra said, "Azam Khan and his son Abdullah Azam will attend the session tomorrow (Monday)."

He said that he (Azam Khan) could not attend the meeting due to health reasons.

Mehrotra said that on Monday, Azam Khan will first take oath as a member of the Legislative Assembly and then attend the session.

Significantly, Azam Khan has 88 cases registered against him in Rampur including land grab and was released from Sitapur Jail on May 20 after Supreme Court granted him interim bail in a cheating case.

Khan's media in-charge Fasahat Ali Khan had accused SP chief Akhilesh Yadav of ignoring his colleague (Azam Khan) and the Muslim community, fueling speculation of a rift in the Samajwadi Party.

Fasahat Ali Khan had alleged that Akhilesh Yadav met Azam Khan only once in jail and the party did not make any effort for his release in the last two and a half years.

After meeting Azam Khan in Sitapur Jail, Akhilesh Yadav's uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav had also alleged that SP did not fight Azam Khan's fight properly.

Speculations that Azam Khan was unhappy with the leadership of the Samajwadi Party got stronger when he did not meet SP MLA Ravidas Mehrotra while in jail, but did meet Congress leader Pramod Krishnam a day later.

On Friday, when Azam Khan, who reached Rampur after his release from Sitapur jail, was asked by journalists why you did not meet the SP delegation, he said that my health was not good.

Regarding the absence of Shivpal Yadav, Mehrotra said that although he won the assembly election on SP's symbol (cycle) but he is also the head of a party and earlier also he did not attend the meeting.

He said that Akhilesh Yadav has asked the MLAs to take up the matters of public interest prominently in the session of the Assembly.