AIMIM and Azad Samaj Party have formed the Samajik Parivartan Morcha ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
Chandra Shekhar Aazad has been named the alliance’s chief ministerial candidate, with a focus on marginalised communities.
The alliance seeks to address Dalit-Muslim representation and could affect the Samajwadi Party’s PDA strategy in Uttar Pradesh.
Uttar Pradesh politics just got a new player. Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM and Chandra Shekhar Aazad’s Azad Samaj Party (Kanshiram) have joined hands as the Samajik Parivartan Morcha (SPM) for the 2027 Assembly elections.
At a joint press conference in Lucknow on Thursday, Owaisi announced Chandra Shekhar Aazad as the alliance’s chief ministerial candidate. The two parties said they aim to build a political alternative in the state and prevent the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from securing a third consecutive term.
The alliance is pitching itself as a platform for Dalits, Muslims, backward classes and other marginalised communities, with an agenda that also includes education, unemployment and farmers’ concerns.
What Is Samajik Parivartan Morcha's Agenda?
Announcing the alliance, Owaisi said communities belonging to backward and oppressed sections had historically been treated as vote banks rather than given adequate political representation.
He said the morcha would work to address issues affecting these communities, irrespective of caste, while also raising concerns over education, youth unemployment and farmers’ problems.
“Our brother Chandra Shekhar Azad will be the Chief Ministerial candidate for the SPM. We will all work together to ensure not only the success of this alliance but also that the people of Uttar Pradesh benefit from its success,” Owaisi said.
Aazad, meanwhile, rejected the description of the alliance as a “Third Front”, calling it a platform for social change and political representation.
He argued that marginalised communities needed independent political organisations to protect their interests and secure a greater share in political power. Invoking B R Ambedkar, Aazad said communities that lacked their own political platforms would continue to face inadequate representation.
He also indicated that the alliance could expand, saying parties such as the Samajwadi Party and Congress could join if they were committed to keeping the BJP out of power.
The Dalit-Muslim Combination
The alliance's electoral pitch draws on the combined population of two major social groups in Uttar Pradesh.
According to figures reported by ANI, Muslims account for around 19% of the state's population, while Scheduled Castes constitute approximately 21%. Together, they represent nearly 40% of Uttar Pradesh's population.
The partnership is an attempt to bring these constituencies under a common political platform. However, their combined population does not automatically translate into electoral support, with voting patterns also influenced by local candidates, regional alliances and other social groups.
What Could It Mean For The Samajwadi Party?
The new alliance could complicate the electoral calculations of the Samajwadi Party (SP), which has built much of its political strategy around its PDA formulation - Pichhda, Dalit and Alpsankhyak (backward classes, Dalits and minorities).
AIMIM has attempted to expand beyond its political base in Telangana but has struggled to convert its presence in Uttar Pradesh into Assembly seats. Owaisi, however, continues to appeal to a section of minority voters.
Aazad's electoral standing received a boost after he won the Nagina Lok Sabha constituency in the 2024 general elections, giving his party greater visibility in the state.
Whether the Samajik Parivartan Morcha can convert its social coalition into votes and seats will depend on its organisational reach, candidate selection and ability to build support beyond its core constituencies.
Owaisi has also invited people to attend a public meeting on November 26, describing it as the beginning of a wider movement for social change in Uttar Pradesh.
