UP's new front takes shape; Owaisi names Chandrashekhar Azad as CM face

New Delhi: To consolidate Dalit and Muslim votes ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and Azad Samaj Party (Kanshiram) president Chandrashekhar Azad on Thursday joined hands to form the Samajik Parivartan Morcha, with Owaisi announcing Azad as the alliance's chief ministerial candidate.

Addressing a joint press conference in Lucknow, Owaisi said the alliance would seek to prevent BJP from returning to power in the state for a third consecutive term. "We have decided to form the Samajik Parivartan Morcha. I can say with confidence that this will be a strong Morcha to stop BJP from coming to power in UP for the third time," Owaisi said.

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Announcing Azad as the CM face, he added, "The change we envision will truly take shape once Chandrashekhar Azad becomes the chief minister."

Azad rejected the description of the formation as a third front, insisting that it was a broader political movement for social transformation. "It is not a third front. It is the Samajik Parivartan Morcha. If you understand its depth, you will realise that it is the first front," he said.

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Accusing successive governments of failing to deliver social justice, Azad said the Bahujan community continued to remain deprived despite changes in political dispensations. "We will no longer be swayed by anyone's influence. We will look after our own interests. We will not go around begging for favours from anyone," he said.

On the electoral strategy, Azad said there were no differences between the two parties over seat-sharing and that they would jointly contest all 403 assembly constituencies. He also invited Samajwadi Party and Congress to join the alliance.

The announcement comes as both parties have stepped up their preparations for the polls. AIMIM has announced candidates for three constituencies, while ASPK has so far named candidates for 87 seats.

The two had joined hands ahead of the 2022 assembly polls as part of the Bhagidari Parivartan Morcha, which failed to win a single seat.