Owaisi-Azad Alliance Set to Shake Up UP Election Landscape

The UP election is so far being seen as a contest between the BJP-led NDA and the SP-led India alliance, but with the announcement of the Owaisi-Chandrasekhar alliance, new political equations are likely to emerge in the state. The new front may also include some other smaller parties. Earlier, Owaisi had expressed a desire to join the India alliance in UP, which Akhilesh Yadav had refused. This alliance may try to consolidate the 40 per cent vote bank of Dalits and Muslims in the state, posing a challenge to the India alliance. Owaisi has also started campaigning for the elections. However, the alliance has not been officially announced yet. It will be announced in Lucknow on Wednesday. Chandrashekhar Azad, president of the Azad Samaj Party, is an MP from Nagina. He is constantly making efforts to strengthen his foothold among Dalits in the state. However, the Samajwadi Party is also trying to take advantage of the weakening of the Bahujan Samaj Party in the state. Chandrashekhar Azad is also trying to form a new alliance with other smaller parties in the 2022 state assembly elections.