Owaisi, Chandra Shekhar Azad announce alliance for UP polls, Azad to be CM candidate

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All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi and Chandra Shekhar Azad led Samaj Party-Kanshi Ram on Thursday, November 12, to announce their Samajik Parivartan Morcha alliance for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls. Azad, the Parliamentarian from Nagina in Western UP, has been announced as the Chief Minister candidate for the alliance.

Amid speculation over the formation of a ‘Third Front’, the Azad Samaj Party chief clarified that the proposed alliance would be known as the ‘Samajik Parivartan Morcha’. He asserted that the initiative should not be viewed as another political front, describing it as the ‘First Front’.

Emphasising the strength and purpose of the alliance, he said it would provide a stronger political platform for marginalised communities and people facing discrimination, exploitation and injustice. He expressed confidence that the coalition could emerge as a credible political alternative in Uttar Pradesh and prevent the BJP from securing a third consecutive term in power.

“The communities that Chandra Shekhar Azad and I belong to, along with all those from backward or oppressed sections, regardless of their caste, have historically been used merely as vote banks. Youths have been left unemployed, and farmers’ issues have also not been solved yet,” he said.

The leader said the alliance partners were committed to working collectively to ensure that the arrangement delivered tangible benefits to the people of Uttar Pradesh. He added that a broader programme of social and political transformation would follow if Chandra Shekhar Azad assumed the office of Chief Minister, reiterating that the promises made to the public would be honoured.

Aiming for the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, he highlighted the difficulties faced by educated unemployed youth. He said families had made considerable financial sacrifices, often borrowing money, to provide their children with an education, only for them to struggle to find employment. He further alleged that young people who raised concerns or demanded their rights were subjected to government intimidation, police action and legal proceedings.

He also raised concerns over the Yogi Adityanath government's directive barring individuals associated with organisations advocating violent changes to the existing social order from being considered for government employment.

Questioning the credibility of opposition parties, particularly the Congress and the Samajwadi Party, he said repeated assurances about defeating the BJP had failed to produce results. Referring to successive elections in 2014, 2017, 2019, 2022 and 2024, he argued that despite these political promises, the BJP had continued to consolidate its position rather than lose power.