Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and Chandrashekhar Azad’s Azad Samaj Party-Kanshi Ram have formed an alliance called the ‘Samajik Parivartan Morcha’ ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. The alliance has named Azad as its Chief Ministerial candidate.

The announcement came during a joint press conference in Lucknow on Thursday. The two leaders described the alliance as a political platform for marginalised and disadvantaged communities.

Azad, the Lok Sabha MP from Nagina, said speculation about a possible ‘Third Front’ had been circulating since Wednesday. However, he clarified that the alliance would be called the ‘Samajik Parivartan Morcha’.

“Let me clarify: this is not a ‘Third Front’, it is a ‘Samajik Parivartan Morcha’. In fact, it is not the ‘third’ at all; this is, in reality, the ‘First Front’,” he said.

Azad described the alliance as a strong political force that would represent people facing oppression, discrimination and exploitation. He alleged that communities without political power continued to face atrocities despite forming a substantial section of the population.

Without directly naming Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Azad accused the state government of using encounters and bulldozers against vulnerable communities, including demolishing their homes.

He also criticised successive governments for failing to improve conditions for the Bahujan community. He pointed out that despite members of marginalised communities reaching positions such as MLA, MP, Chief Minister and Prime Minister, people still struggled for basic facilities, including quality schools and hospitals.

Raising concerns over unemployment, Azad said parents who borrowed money to educate their children were now struggling to find employment opportunities for them. He also alleged that authorities targeted people who demanded their rights through police cases and the use of force.

Referring to the Yogi government's directive concerning organisations advocating violent changes to the existing social system, Azad said, “The truth is, we are denied justice both in life and in death.”

Owaisi called the alliance a strong political alternative in Uttar Pradesh. He said its primary objective was to prevent the BJP from securing a third consecutive term in the state.

The AIMIM chief said communities represented by him and Azad, along with backward and oppressed sections across castes, had long been treated as vote banks. He also highlighted unemployment among young people and unresolved farmers' issues.

Owaisi said the alliance would work together to ensure that its political success benefited the people of Uttar Pradesh. He confirmed Azad as the alliance's Chief Ministerial candidate.

“Any subsequent transformation will take place once Chandra Shekhar Aazad sahab becomes the Chief Minister, and we will fulfil all those commitments,” Owaisi said.

Azad also criticised the Congress and Samajwadi Party for repeatedly promising to remove the BJP from power without achieving results. Referring to the elections in 2014, 2017, 2019, 2022 and 2024, he said the BJP had only strengthened its position.

“Therefore, we have now decided to stop getting humiliated,” he said.