Asaduddin Owaisi, Chandrashekhar Azad's Parties Form UP Poll Pact, Eye Dalit-Muslim Unity

Asaduddin Owaisi of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) arrived in Lucknow on Wednesday ahead of an expected announcement of an alliance with Chandrashekhar Azad's Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) for the 2027 assembly elections due by February. The two parties have finalised the deal after several rounds of meetings, sources told NDTV. They are likely to announce the alliance at a joint press conference in Lucknow on Thursday.The partnership brings together a party that seeks to represent Muslims and one that is trying to build a Dalit political base. Together they are attempting to create an alternative formation outside the ruling BJP-led NDA and the Samajwadi Party-led opposition.UP AIMIM president Shaukat Ali said the party turned to Azad after it was rebuffed by the main opposition parties, naming the Samajwadi Party and the Congress, besides Mayawati's BSP, which has its core base among Dalits.