LUCKNOW, Nov 12: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi and Azad Samaj Party (Kanshiram) chief Chandrashekhar Aazad on Thursday announced the formation of a new political alliance, the Samajik Parivartan Morcha (SPM), ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. The leaders also invited the Samajwadi Party (SP), Congress and other opposition parties to join the platform to prevent the BJP from securing a third consecutive term in the state.
Addressing a press conference in Lucknow, the two leaders described the new formation as an independent political platform aimed at representing deprived, marginalised and oppressed communities. Owaisi announced Aazad as the alliance’s chief ministerial face, expressing confidence in its ability to challenge the BJP and the RSS.
Calling the coalition open to wider political participation, Aazad said parties such as the SP and Congress could contest the upcoming elections under its banner if they shared the objective of preventing another BJP government. Rejecting the suggestion that the formation was merely a third front, he described it as the “first front”, arguing that its political significance went beyond conventional electoral calculations.
The alliance brings together two leaders who command support among different social groups. Aazad, a prominent Dalit leader from the Jatav community, has gained recognition among younger Dalit voters, while Owaisi has established a political presence among sections of the Muslim community through his speeches and public campaigns.
The two parties are seeking to consolidate Dalit and Muslim voters, who together account for a substantial share of Uttar Pradesh’s electorate. However, the alliance’s seat-sharing formula and broader electoral strategy have not yet been disclosed. Its invitation to other parties suggests an effort to expand its support base by bringing Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and additional communities into the coalition.
A broader opposition arrangement could also improve the new front’s negotiating position in the event of favourable post-election developments.
The BJP, however, dismissed the initiative. State president Pankaj Chaudhary told PTI that opposition parties viewed Dalits, backward communities and disadvantaged sections primarily as vote banks. He maintained that voters would prioritise development when choosing their representatives in 2027.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav reacted to the announcement by welcoming the formation of the Morcha. He suggested that the alliance could reduce the BJP’s vote share by two to three percentage points and provide another political option to voters who had previously supported communal forces.
In a post on X, Yadav said the SP would cooperate in taking forward the “honest voice” of those working against communal forces for the welfare of PDA, referring to Pichhda, Dalit and Alpsankhyak communities.
The relationship between the SP and Congress will also remain an important factor in the state’s opposition politics. The two parties won 37 and six Lok Sabha seats respectively in Uttar Pradesh during the 2024 general elections. However, their arrangement for the 2027 Assembly polls has not yet been formally outlined.
Owaisi’s earlier attempts to secure a place in the INDIA bloc’s political arrangement in Uttar Pradesh did not succeed, with Yadav indicating that the SP intended to continue its partnership with Congress.
The newly announced alliance is also expected to face questions over allegations that it could split opposition votes and indirectly benefit the ruling BJP. Some SP leaders have questioned its political relevance, pointing to Owaisi’s rallies in areas considered important to the Samajwadi Party’s electoral base, including Kairana, Suar and Moradabad.
Congress leader Asim Waqar, who recently left AIMIM to join Congress, alleged that the alliance had been established at the BJP’s behest. He claimed that certain political leaders periodically worked in ways that benefited the ruling party and urged voters, particularly Muslims, to prevent the BJP from returning to power.
Aazad rejected the allegations that his party was acting as the BJP’s B-team. Questioning the criticism directed at parties contesting elections independently, he cited the SP’s electoral participation outside Uttar Pradesh, including in Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir.
He also pointed to differences among INDIA bloc partners in other states, asking why Congress and Trinamool Congress contested against each other in West Bengal and why Congress and AAP fought separately in Delhi and Haryana.
Referring to Dalit icons BR Ambedkar and Kanshiram, Aazad recalled the earlier electoral understanding between his party and the SP during the 2023 local body elections.
Meanwhile, Owaisi launched a strong criticism of Akhilesh Yadav, accusing the SP leadership of practising entitlement politics and failing to provide adequate political representation to marginalised communities.
He questioned whether Yadav had faced the kind of physical attacks experienced by Aazad, who survived a shooting incident in 2023, and himself, whose vehicle was attacked in 2022.
Owaisi argued that the central issue was equal participation in politics and said marginalised communities should develop independent leadership rather than remain dependent on established political parties. He also questioned the expectation that Muslims should support other political formations without receiving an adequate share in leadership and decision-making.
Taking another swipe at Yadav over his proposed December 12 visit to Ayodhya’s Ram temple, Owaisi recited a couplet by poet Amir Minai, suggesting that the SP chief’s political position was gradually becoming clearer.
He further raised questions about the SP government’s handling of the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, referring to the displacement of thousands of people and alleging that survivors had faced pressure in pursuing sexual assault cases. Owaisi also mentioned SP leader Shivpal Singh Yadav’s meeting with Mohammad Azam Khan in jail, saying AIMIM had consistently raised its voice in support of the jailed leader.
The November 26 Constitution Day rally planned in Lucknow is expected to be an important event for the newly formed alliance. The gathering could provide an opportunity for the partners to demonstrate their organisational strength and outline their future electoral plans. Both parties had already started building their presence across Uttar Pradesh through public meetings, rallies and organisational activities. Owaisi conducted programmes in different parts of the state, while Aazad organised his ‘Satta Parivartan Yatras’. The parties had also begun announcing candidates.
The alliance represents another attempt by Owaisi to build electoral partnerships outside his party’s traditional political base. In the Bihar Assembly elections, AIMIM won five seats after joining hands with the Azad Samaj Party and Swami Prasad Maurya’s Apni Janata Party, although the ASP failed to secure a victory.
In Uttar Pradesh, Owaisi had earlier formed the Bhagidari Parivartan Morcha ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections in partnership with former minister Babu Singh Kushwaha’s Jan Adhikar Party. The alliance contested 95 seats but failed to retain its security deposits across all the constituencies.
Aazad, too, has experienced contrasting electoral fortunes. He lost the 2022 Assembly election against Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from Gorakhpur Urban but returned to electoral prominence by winning the Nagina Lok Sabha constituency in the 2024 general elections.
With the announcement of the Samajik Parivartan Morcha, Uttar Pradesh’s opposition politics has acquired another dimension ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. The alliance’s ability to attract additional political partners, finalise seat-sharing arrangements and translate its social support base into electoral strength will become clearer in the coming months.