Political activity has intensified in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi targeted Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav during a public meeting in Kanpur, questioning his tenure as chief minister and referring to the Muzaffarnagar riots. Owaisi also proposed an alliance among opposition parties with the objective of preventing the Bharatiya Janata Party from returning to power in Uttar Pradesh for a third consecutive term.
Owaisi was addressing the public meeting at the Babupurwa Eidgah ground in the Cantonment area of Kanpur on Sunday. He also discussed the AIMIM’s strategy for the 2027 Assembly elections. He said his party was prepared to form an alliance with parties that wanted to prevent the BJP from forming the government again in Uttar Pradesh. According to Owaisi, if opposition parties wanted to come together for this objective, AIMIM was ready to hold discussions with them.
In his speech, Owaisi referred to the Samajwadi Party and Akhilesh Yadav, saying that slogans such as “Akhilesh bhaiya is coming” are heard during elections. He then questioned how many riots took place when Akhilesh Yadav was in power. He subsequently referred to the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots and said that a large number of people were displaced from their homes and villages during the incident. He cited a figure of around 50,000 displaced people in his speech.
Communal violence took place in Muzaffarnagar during August-September 2013. In his speech, Owaisi linked the incident to Akhilesh Yadav’s tenure as chief minister at the time and raised political questions about the Samajwadi Party. The statement was part of Owaisi’s political speech and allegation and does not, by itself, establish personal responsibility of any individual or legal culpability of any government.
Owaisi also raised issues concerning the social, economic and educational conditions of the Muslim community and political representation. He said people who vote for different political parties should also raise questions concerning their development, education and representation. He appealed for strengthening AIMIM’s political presence and said the community should have a voice in the state Assembly.
During the public meeting, Owaisi also indicated his party’s preparations for the upcoming Assembly elections. He said AIMIM had not yet made any official announcement regarding the number of seats it would contest in Uttar Pradesh and that work was underway to strengthen the organisation at the district level. On the alliance issue, he said parties seeking to prevent the BJP from forming the government for a third time could hold discussions with AIMIM.
Owaisi said his party would wait until October 2 regarding a possible alliance and that an announcement would be made if an alliance was formed. This means his statement cannot currently be treated as an announcement of a final alliance. No specific seat-sharing arrangement or formal agreement with any particular party has been announced in the available report.
Owaisi also referred to the Bihar Assembly elections in his speech. He claimed that before the Bihar elections, AIMIM had written to leaders of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Congress, CPI and other Left parties, offering to contest six seats as part of an alliance, but that the offer was not accepted. He said that instead, allegations were made against his party. This claim represents Owaisi’s political position as presented in his speech.
The 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election is still ahead, and various parties are preparing their political strategies. AIMIM has previously contested elections in Uttar Pradesh, and Owaisi has repeatedly spoken about expanding the party’s organisation in the state. His latest statement has focused on the possibility of an alliance and discussions with opposition parties.
Owaisi also questioned the BJP government’s policies and raised issues related to law and order in Uttar Pradesh. He referred to madrasas, employment and certain administrative actions while criticising the government. These statements should also be understood as political allegations and remarks by an opposition leader. The government or other political parties may have different positions on the issues concerned.
He also mentioned Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chaudhary and said that he speaks with him despite political differences. Owaisi referred to discussions with Jayant Chaudhary regarding his decision to join the BJP and said that he respected him. This comment was also part of his speech in Kanpur.
The AIMIM’s alliance proposal in Uttar Pradesh comes as discussions have begun over possible political equations among opposition parties ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. However, no formal alliance between specific parties has been finalised so far. Owaisi has said that the door remains open for an alliance and indicated that the position would be clarified by October 2.
Political differences between Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party and AIMIM have surfaced previously as well. In his latest remarks, Owaisi directly referred to Akhilesh Yadav’s tenure as chief minister and the Muzaffarnagar riots. At the same time, on the alliance question, he offered to hold discussions with opposition parties. His statement therefore included both a political attack on the Samajwadi Party and an offer to discuss a broader opposition alliance.
At present, there is no final alliance arrangement for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election. AIMIM has put forward its alliance proposal and said it will wait until October 2. The response of other political parties to the proposal will determine how the possible electoral equations in the state develop in the coming period.
