ALIGARH: With not a single Muslim elected as MP from the Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh, SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav has at least temporarily aborted plans of fielding Tej Pratap Singh Yadav, grandson of his late elder brother Ratan Singh Yadav, from either of the two seats from which he won, Mainpuri and Azamgarh, one of which he is expected to vacate in future.Instead, if sources are to be believed, Mulayam Singh is now seriously planning to field either Azam Khan or Dr Shafiq-ur-Rehman Burq when he vacates one of the two seats. Burq lost to the BJP in Sambhal by a very slender margin of 4500 votes. This, some leaders in the party say, will not only go some way in winning back the trust of Muslims, but also ensure that the SP chief has at least one seasoned parliamentarian accompanying him in parliament.The three other SP MPs in the 16th Lok Sabha are all Mulayam's relatives – daughter-in-law Dimple and nephews Dharmendra and Akshay. "Netaji will virtually be alone in the house as both Dimple and Akshay are absolutely new. So, he needs someone experienced, so that even with five members, SP could make its presence felt," says a party insider, "both Azam and Burq fit the bill here."There is buzz in the party that fielding of a Muslim candidate would definitely send a positive signal among hardliners in the community. Burq had walked out of the Rajya Sabha during a recitation of Vande Matram a few years back. It had drawn condemnation from all quarters, including from the chairperson and vice president Hamid Ansari. Azam on the other hand carries a vast experience both as an MLA and parliamentary affairs minister.While Azam could not be contacted, Burq said, "I am not in a position to comment on this, as nothing has been discussed." Prodded further on the party's intention on "taking this thought forward", he said, "Maybe something will happen."What may have forced the SP leadership to think on this line is the fact that a majority ofMuslim candidates fielded by the party have blamed OBCs, in particular Yadavs, for betraying them.This was also evident at the counting centre of Bareilly parliamentary seat where supporters of the SP candidate were openly heard saying this.Talking to TOI, SP MLA from Bhojipura, Shahzil Islam, whose wife was in the fray from the Bareilly seat said, "Hindus, including castes which have been traditional supporters of SP, have not voted for us and instead chose BJP, which is the reason why we lost the contest."Same is the situation in Rampur where supporters of Azam Khan feel the EC ban cost them both Rampur and Sambhal seat — where the party candidates lost by 23,000 and 4,500 votes respectively. Had Khan been allowed to campaign, the party score card would not have been so poor, said his close aide Shaani Khan.The candidature of either Azam or Burq, who is considered to be his man Friday, would come as a balm for the minister's supporters who somewhere down the line were nurturing the feeling that the party leadership failed to take up the issue with the EC in the right perspective.Khan's representative in Sambhal, Mohd Fahim, said, "It would be the most befitting gesture at this crucial juncture as it would go a long way in assuaging the feelings of the community which is already nursing the wounds of the Muzaffarnagar riots. But the party needs to act tough against 'traitors' who back-stabbed party candidates in this election. Failure to do so may witness their exodus to party's arch rival BSP and spell doom for the SP in 2017 assembly elections, too, where it has to also face a rejuvenated BJP."