Any MLA is free to take the oath in any of the 18 scheduled languages recognised in our constitution. However, Azmi's attempt to choose Hindi as his choice of language for the oath, can be translated into nothing more than an attempt to woo back the Marathi Muslim to the party fold, especially those who have migrated here from UP.

 

Mulayam may try to use the Abu Azmi incident to win back this formidable vote bank and endanger mission 2012 of the Congress party, who, without Muslim support cannot hope to form a government in UP. Now that the elections in Ferozabad are over, SP's political equations are bound to change.

 

The biggest challenge before the Congress and the SP is to win the Muslim masses and keep them with the party, as the success and failure of the Congress and the survival of the SP depends on this. While the Congress could adopt a straight and overt technique, wooing small Muslim Tanzeems to get rid of those who play the spoilers, the tricks Mulayam and Amar Singh adopt, will be very different.

 

To help his daughter in law, Dimple Yadav, win in Ferozabad, Mulayam Singh disappointed millions of Muslims in the state and trampled upon their sentiments, by keeping Kalyan Singh in the party. The Ferozabad seat was unique as it has a very large majority of Yadav and Lodh votes and the two make a deadly combination. As Mulayam has been a master of exploiting sentiment, he here took refuge in political mathematical solutions.

 

Amar Singh had ensured victory over the Lodh masses by comparing Kalyan Singh to a holy prophet, an act which sacrificed Bhukkal Nawab in Lucknow, but which endeared Dimple to the masses in Ferozabad.

 

The seat was tricky following Rahul Gandhi’s tour and it was a tightrope walk for Dimple. To make the situation easy for her, Mulayam and Amar Singh, who are now known as the Azam Khan killers, came up with a fool proof strategy to use the Lodhs and discard the Muslims.

 

This scheme could be set into operation to counter Rahul Gandhi’s Mission 2012 or make the SP strong enough to be in a position to negotiate with the Congress. As it is not possible for the Congress to form the government alone in UP, unless, they have the consolidated support of the Muslim voters. A fragmented Muslim vote in 2012 could mean a big setback for the Gandhi scion.