UP Elections 2027: AIMIM And ASP Join Hands, Chandrashekhar Azad To Lead As CM Candidate

Lucknow: Before the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections 2027, a new alliance has entered the state politics. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) President Chandrashekhar Azad have come together and announced the formation of the Social Change Front. Along with the announcement of the alliance, Owaisi also declared Chandrashekhar Azad as the chief ministerial face. Both the leaders have claimed to make it a strong option against the BJP. The front has said that it will contest elections on all 403 assembly seats in the state.

What will be the election agenda of the new front?

During the announcement of the alliance, Owaisi said that till now many sections of the society have been used only as vote banks. Social Change Morcha will try to get such people political participation. He said that it is necessary to prepare a strong alternative in the state to stop BJP and the leadership of Chandrashekhar Azad will play an important role in this direction.

Owaisi made it clear that the Morcha will not limit its politics to any limited area but will field candidates on all 403 seats. After this announcement, discussion has started regarding electoral alliance and seat equations in the state.

Why did Chandrashekhar invite SP and Congress?

Chandrashekhar Azad said that his aim is to bring social change in the country and his politics will move forward, keeping in mind the needs of the future. He said that no one needs to prove his patriotism. On the question related to bulldozer action on illegal mosques, he said that he will fight for every mosque.

Chandrashekhar also said that this will not be the third front but the first strong front. According to him, attempts were made to join a larger alliance, but they were considered weak. Now insult will not be tolerated. He also appealed to SP and Congress to join the Social Change Front to defeat BJP in the elections.

Will the front focus on Dalit-Muslim equation?

Participation of Dalit and Muslim communities is likely to be a major issue in the political strategy of both the parties. Both these communities have a sizeable population in Uttar Pradesh. In such a situation, Samajik Parivartan Morcha will try to strengthen its political hold among them. Especially the activities of this alliance will be monitored in the areas of Western Uttar Pradesh and Rohilkhand.

However, with the announcement of the alliance, it has been said that elections will be contested on all 403 seats, but the strategy for selecting candidates on the seats and associating other parties with them is yet to be clear. Owaisi had earlier expressed his desire to join the opposition alliance with SP and Congress, but an agreement could not be reached with both parties regarding seats. After this he decided to form a new front with Chandrashekhar Azad.

How was the performance of both the parties in the 2022 elections?

The figures of the last assembly elections also show the challenge faced by both the parties. In the 2022 UP Assembly elections, AIMIM had fielded candidates on 95 seats and got about 0.49 percent votes. Whereas, Azad Samaj Party had contested 110 seats and its vote share was around 0.13 percent. Both the parties were not successful in winning any assembly seat.

Now both the parties will try to increase their political ground through a united front. Declaring Chandrashekhar Azad as the chief ministerial face is also being considered a part of this strategy. However, how much support the alliance gets in the elections will depend on aspects such as candidates, campaigns and possible coordination with other parties.