Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and Chandrashekhar Azad’s Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) have joined hands ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, seeking to emerge as a third political force and draw support from sections of Muslim and Dalit voters.

As part of the alliance, Owaisi declared Chandrashekhar Azad as the alliance’s Chief Ministerial face for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

Owaisi had been seeking a place in the Opposition alliance for months and had even issued ultimatums to the Samajwadi Party and Congress. However, his efforts did not find takers.

The alliance brings together AIMIM’s focus on Muslim political representation and the Azad Samaj Party’s outreach among Dalit voters. Both parties are seeking to establish a political formation outside the BJP-led NDA and the Samajwadi Party-led opposition.

Why Owaisi and Chandrashekhar Azad joined hands

Uttar Pradesh AIMIM president Shaukat Ali said the party approached Chandrashekhar Azad after its efforts to reach an understanding with the Samajwadi Party, Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party did not succeed.

Ali said AIMIM wanted a broader alliance to prevent the BJP from returning to power in Uttar Pradesh for a third consecutive term.

He also criticised the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance, questioning its prospects in the next Assembly elections.

Chandrashekhar Azad, the Lok Sabha MP from Nagina, said the partnership would focus on empowering young people, farmers and weaker sections of society.

He also raised concerns over employment opportunities, demonetisation and issues affecting educated youth from Dalit and backward communities.

What the alliance means for Akhilesh Yadav’s PDA strategy

Muslims account for around 20 per cent of Uttar Pradesh’s population, while Dalits constitute approximately 21 per cent.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has used the PDA formulation to bring together backward classes, Dalits and minorities. The AIMIM-Azad Samaj Party alliance is seeking support among two important sections of this broader social grouping.

Muslims account for around 20 per cent of Uttar Pradesh’s population, while Dalits constitute approximately 21 per cent.

What the parties’ previous election performance shows

Both AIMIM and the Azad Samaj Party have struggled to establish a significant presence in Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

In the 2022 Assembly elections, AIMIM contested more than 90 seats but secured less than 0.5 per cent of the total votes. The Azad Samaj Party contested more than 100 seats and received approximately 0.13 per cent of the votes.

Chandrashekhar Azad, however, won the Nagina Lok Sabha constituency in 2024, giving his party its first elected representative in Parliament.

The alliance is now attempting to combine AIMIM’s support among sections of Muslim voters with Azad’s outreach among Dalit communities.

Its electoral prospects will depend on the seat-sharing arrangement, local leadership and whether the two parties can translate their combined social outreach into electoral support.

SP leaders respond to the alliance

Samajwadi Party MP from Ayodhya, Awadhesh Prasad, dismissed the electoral significance of the AIMIM-Azad Samaj Party alliance. He said that people in Uttar Pradesh had lost faith in the BJP government and described Akhilesh Yadav as the only leader capable of removing the BJP from power in 2027.

The alliance’s formation could therefore become an important factor in the political discussions ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, particularly because both leaders are seeking support among communities that the Samajwadi Party also hopes to bring together through its PDA formulation.

Sonia Gandhi’s memoir Belonging: A Journey of Love was released on Tuesday, with N Ram saying its publication was not planned around the 2029 Lok Sabha election despite the book containing several political references that could become relevant to the electoral debate.

In an interview, N Ram, former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu, said political issues emerged naturally as part of Sonia Gandhi’s narration. He said the memoir was primarily an effort by the former Congress president to tell her own story and portray her family as people she knew and loved.

Why Sonia Gandhi’s memoir was released now

According to N Ram, Sonia Gandhi began jotting down material for the memoir around 10 years ago. He said that although the writing process had periods when she was unable to continue, she devoted the last five years to the project.

He said the timing was driven by her desire to tell her own story after years of others writing about her and her family.

Sonia Gandhi has described the memoir as a personal account rather than a political book. In a statement ahead of its release, she said she wanted to portray her family honestly and share what she had witnessed during more than five decades in India.

Political issues find space in the book

N Ram said the memoir does contain political material that could have a bearing on the 2029 elections.

He specifically referred to Sonia Gandhi’s comments about the BJP and the RSS, concerns about people being restless, allegations of “vote stealing” and her criticism concerning institutions. He also pointed to her references to the Election Commission of India.

However, N Ram said these issues appearing in the book should not be interpreted as evidence that it was deliberately timed for the 2029 elections.

He argued that the 2029 election is still some distance away and said that if the memoir had been intended specifically for the election, its release could have been delayed by another couple of years.

Sonia Gandhi’s own account of the memoir

Sonia Gandhi has said the book emerged from her wish to speak about her own experiences after remaining largely private for much of her life.

The memoir traces her journey from Italy to India, her relationship with Rajiv Gandhi and the Nehru-Gandhi family, the personal losses that shaped her life and her eventual entry into politics. It also covers important political moments, including her decision not to become prime minister after the Congress-led alliance won the 2004 election.

N Ram said Sonia Gandhi had previously discussed the idea of telling her story and had maintained that others had spent decades telling her story, making her feel it was now her turn to do so.

He said the memoir therefore came from a desire to tell her own version of her life rather than from an immediate electoral strategy.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has stepped up the political attack on Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann over an alleged drinking habit, days after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi made a similar allegation at a rally in Sangrur.

Saini appealed to people in Punjab to help Mann give up alcohol while referring to the state’s ongoing battle against drug abuse.

“Mann sahab ki daaroo chhurwao, tabhi nasha khatam ho sakta hai,” Saini said, according to the report. The remark translates to an appeal to help Mann quit drinking, linking the comment to the broader issue of addiction in Punjab.

Rahul Gandhi’s earlier allegation against Mann

The latest political exchange follows remarks made by Rahul Gandhi at a Congress rally in Sangrur on November 4.

Recalling his time in Parliament with Bhagwant Mann, Gandhi alleged that he could smell alcohol on Mann’s breath even at around 11 am. Gandhi, however, said that drinking was Mann’s personal matter.

Gandhi’s argument was that the issue becomes relevant because the Punjab government is expected to lead the fight against substance abuse.

Saini backs Rahul Gandhi’s remarks

Saini had earlier supported Gandhi’s comments, describing them as “absolutely true” and recalling that the two politicians had sat together in the Lok Sabha when they were part of the INDIA alliance.

His latest remarks have extended the political criticism of Mann, bringing the Haryana Chief Minister into the controversy surrounding the Punjab Chief Minister’s alleged drinking habit.

AAP calls remarks a personal attack

The Aam Aadmi Party has rejected the criticism directed at Mann and described Rahul Gandhi’s remarks as a “below-the-belt” personal attack.

AAP also accused the Congress and BJP of joining hands to target the Punjab Chief Minister.

The controversy comes ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly election and has added a personal dimension to the opposition’s wider criticism of the AAP government’s handling of drugs and law and order in the state.

It is important to note that the drinking-related statements in the political controversy are allegations made by political opponents and should not be presented as independently established facts.