UP Assembly Elections 2027: Chandrashekhar Azad, Asaduddin Owaisi Announce Alliance, Name Azad As CM Face

Lucknow: In a significant political development ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Bhim Army chief and Nagina MP Chandrashekhar Azad and AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday announced an alliance named Samajik Parivartan Morcha, projecting Azad as its chief ministerial candidate.

The alliance, which currently comprises two parties, has announced its intention to contest all 403 Assembly seats in the state. The leaders also declared November 26 as the date for their first major show of strength, with a rally at the Ramabai Ambedkar Maidan in Lucknow.

Addressing a joint press conference, Azad described the alliance as the beginning of a new political alternative rather than a third front.

"What you see before you is the Samajik Parivartan Morcha. It is not the third front but the first front. It will become stronger as more oppressed and marginalised sections join it," he said.

Azad said successive governments had failed to address the concerns of the Bahujan community despite making repeated promises. He alleged that educated youth remained unemployed, while those raising their voices against injustice faced police cases and police action.

"We have endured humiliation for too long. Now we will build our own strength instead of depending on others. We will stand with those who are oppressed, exploited and deprived," he said.

Launching a sharp attack on the BJP government, Azad alleged that Dalits and marginalised communities continued to face atrocities. Referring to the Hathras case, he accused the government of failing to honour its promise of providing a job to the victim's family. He also cited alleged incidents of arson targeting Dalit settlements in Prayagraj, Gorakhpur, Kasganj and Sant Kabir Nagar, besides an incident in Kakori in which a member of the Pasi community was allegedly forced to drink urine.

He also questioned the use of the National Security Act against him after he secured bail in a case, alleging that the government was suppressing dissent.

On the demolition of mosques in the name of removing illegal structures, Azad said his alliance would oppose such actions. "We will fight for every mosque," he declared, adding that those wanting to defeat the BJP should join hands with the new political formation.

He also alleged that encounters carried out under the present government were fake and accused the BJP of targeting constitutional rights. Warning the government against any move affecting the Constitution or reservation, he said the alliance would strongly resist such attempts.

Azad said the doors of the Morcha were open to other parties, including the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, if they wished to join the alliance.

Owaisi, meanwhile, described the new formation as a strong alternative capable of preventing the BJP from returning to power for a third consecutive term in Uttar Pradesh.

He said the alliance would focus on unemployment, farmers' problems and the demand for social justice, besides seeking wider social and political representation for marginalised communities.

"Chandrashekhar Azad will be our chief ministerial candidate. Our objective is to bring social change in Uttar Pradesh. We want to do politics for the future," Owaisi said.

Taking a dig at the Samajwadi Party, the AIMIM chief questioned its ability to defeat the BJP despite receiving substantial support from minority voters.

He argued that the new alliance would offer a political alternative to those dissatisfied with the existing opposition parties.

The November 26 rally at Ramabai Ambedkar Maidan is expected to be the first major test of the alliance's ability to mobilise support and expand its political base ahead of the Assembly elections.