Lucknow: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi and Azad Samaj Party (Kanshiram) chief Chandrashekhar Azad are expected to hold a joint press conference in Lucknow on Thursday to announce an alliance between their parties for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, party leaders indicated.
The proposed alliance could emerge as a non-BJP, non-Congress third front, with both the AIMIM and the Azad Samaj Party seeking to consolidate Dalit and minority votes in the country's most populous state.
Together, Dalits and minorities account for nearly 41 per cent of Uttar Pradesh's population, according to estimates cited in the political discourse. The BJP is eyeing a record third consecutive term in the state, while the opposition Samajwadi Party is seeking to prevent the ruling party from retaining power.
The nature of the proposed alliance is yet to be disclosed. However, AIMIM spokesperson Shadab Chauhan confirmed that the Azad Samaj Party, headed by Nagina MP Chandrashekhar Azad, and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), led by Owaisi, would join hands.
“The nature of the pact and other details will be revealed on Thursday during the press conference to be addressed by AIMIM and Bhim Army leadership,” Shadab told PTI over the phone.
Azad and Owaisi separately arrived in Lucknow ahead of Thursday's event. However, neither disclosed details of the alliance or the joint press conference expected to be held at a hotel in Gomti Nagar on Thursday afternoon.
“Whatever it is will be revealed before you,” Azad said when asked about his party's alliance with the AIMIM.
He said their effort was to strengthen the position of youth, farmers, the poor and marginalised sections.
“Will answer all your queries tomorrow,” Azad said in response to further questions, adding that everything necessary to protect the rights of the poor would be done.
It remains unclear how many of the 403 Assembly seats the two parties plan to contest. It is also uncertain whether other smaller parties will join the proposed alliance.
Owaisi's third-front push in Uttar Pradesh
The development comes after the main INDIA bloc parties in Uttar Pradesh — the Samajwadi Party and the Congress — showed no interest in Owaisi's offer to join their seat-sharing arrangement for the Assembly elections.
Owaisi had set an October 2 deadline for the SP and the Congress to decide on his inclusion in the INDIA bloc, but neither party responded positively.
Following this, Owaisi is now set to join hands with Azad's party to form a possible third front in the state, ostensibly seeking to consolidate minority and Dalit votes. Along with Other Backward Classes (OBCs), these groups are considered important electoral constituencies in Uttar Pradesh.
While Owaisi's electoral presence in Uttar Pradesh remains limited, he has influence among a section of minority voters. Azad, meanwhile, has been building support among young Dalit voters, potentially making the alliance a factor for both the BJP-led NDA and the SP-Congress-led INDIA bloc.
