'Can't stop BJP alone': Owaisi opens alliance door to 'like-minded' parties in UP

Owaisi pitches alliance to ‘like-minded’ parties in UP NEW DELHI: With Uttar Pradesh set for assembly polls in 2027, AIMIM supremo Asaduddin Owaisi has thrown open the possibility of an alliance with parties looking to prevent the BJP from returning to power for a third straight term, saying no opposition party can take on the BJP alone.Owaisi, speaking to news agency ANI on Sunday, invited “like-minded” parties for talks and said AIMIM was prepared to work with them if the common objective was to keep the BJP out of power.“We do not want the BJP government to be formed for a third time in Uttar Pradesh. If anyone does not want the BJP to form the government, they can talk to us. We are ready to work with you to stop the BJP from coming to power. But it is important to understand that you cannot stop the BJP alone,” he said.His outreach comes as political parties begin preparing for the 2027 contest in Uttar Pradesh, where the BJP has been in power since 2017 under the leadership of Yogi Adityanath.Owaisi, however, cautioned against viewing the coming election through the lens of previous polls, saying the political contest would have its own set of challenges.“Assembly elections are coming. It won’t be the 2014 election, nor the 2017 election, nor the 2019 election, nor the 2022 election. This is going to be a completely different election,” he said. ‘We asked for six seats’ in Bihar Owaisi pointed to AIMIM’s experience in Bihar to underline the party’s position on alliances. He said the party had approached several opposition leaders before the Bihar elections, seeking an alliance and asking for six seats, but the proposal did not find support.“We said this in Bihar as well, and our president, Akhtarul Iman, wrote a letter not just to the RJD or the Congress, but to all the CPI and Communist Party leaders. We said, ‘Please give us six seats.’ But they did not agree,” he said.Despite the lack of an alliance, Owaisi said AIMIM would continue building its organisation in Uttar Pradesh. He claimed the party’s leadership had developed from the grassroots and said its workers were already active across constituencies.“Our party organisation has become quite strong. Our leadership has emerged at the grassroots level, and our leaders have a strong connection with the ground. The party is working hard on its part,” he said.Hyderabad MP said alliance talks would not determine AIMIM’s organisational plans.“Whether we are in talks with whom or not is a different matter, but we will continue our work. If you want to stop the BJP, come and talk to us. We are ready to work with you,” he said. Owaisi targets BJP, SP over ‘hooliganism’ Turning to the Yogi-led BJP government, Owaisi alleged that several promises made by the party remained unfulfilled. He raised issues including governance, law and order, electricity and land disputes, saying these would become important themes in the election.He also criticised the previous Samajwadi Party government, drawing a comparison between the two regimes.“When the Samajwadi Party was in power, one kind of hooliganism used to happen. Someone else did it. Now, under their government, a different kind of hooliganism is happening,” Owaisi said.He also sought the public release of the SIT report into the alleged Ram Mandir embezzlement case and questioned how accused persons were securing bail.“Why isn’t the SIT report released to the public? Why doesn’t the government release it? And why are those people getting bail? How are they getting bail? It’s strange. This will also be a big talking point,” he said. AIMIM has already begun preparing for the 2027 election, with Owaisi saying the party is touring constituencies to strengthen its organisation and gauge local concerns.He said he was in Kanpur on Sunday and would visit Shravasti in six days, followed by Azamgarh. Public meetings are also planned in three or four constituencies in western Uttar Pradesh.“The sole purpose is to strengthen our party organisation for the upcoming elections,” Owaisi said.He added that staying connected with voters was central to the party’s preparations.“By staying among the people, we can understand their suffering on the ground and highlight the difficulties this government has created for them,” he said. Abhishek Mishra is a Digital Content Producer at The Times of India, working with the news desk. He writes with a keen eye on foreign policy, defence developments, and the shifting currents of geopolitics-and yes, Indian politics always finds a way onto his radar too.