Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, June 15: Further exposing fissures within the opposition INDIA bloc over elections in various state Assemblies, the Congress and the Samajwadi Party, the two main opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh, have taken differing positions on the prospect of an alliance with AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi ahead of the 2027 UP Assembly election.
Even as Mr Owaisi has offered to join the INDIA bloc in UP, if it was given a respectable seat-sharing arrangement to avoid division of anti-BJP votes, and senior Samajwadi Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ram Gopal Yadav welcomed any political force capable of weakening the BJP, the Congress MP Imran Masood said any decision on AIMIM joining the INDIA bloc would be taken by the party’s central leadership, but stressed there could be “no compromise with communalism.”
“It will not be possible to oppose communalism on one side and strengthen communalism on the other. The fight is between Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi. There is no middle ground. Only Rahul Gandhi has the power to defeat the BJP,” Masood said. “Therefore, those who want to defeat the BJP should join Rahul Gandhi and support him.”
Masood’s remarks come as the opposition alliance reassesses its strategy after suffering major defeats in Delhi, Bihar and West Bengal over the past year. In Delhi and Bengal, INDIA bloc constituents Aam Aadmi Party and Trinamool Congress suffered heavy losses, while the BJP and its ally Janata Dal (United) secured comfortable victories in Bihar.
Leaders of the INDIA bloc met in Delhi last week to review the alliance’s future direction. At the meeting, Rahul Gandhi urged partners to remain united despite recent setbacks, arguing that defeating the BJP would be easier if opposition parties stood together.
Gandhi also cautioned alliance partners, including the Trinamool Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Samajwadi Party, that traditional political strategies and campaign methods may no longer be effective. “These only worked when the State provides a fair playing field… That field does not exist anymore,” he said. Reiterating the Congress’ role within the alliance, Gandhi said the party was prepared to “swallow all the poison” spread by the BJP as it continued to lead the opposition’s fight against the ruling party.
However, a contrasting view appears to be gaining traction among some INDIA bloc leaders, favouring a broader anti-BJP coalition that could include Owaisi’s AIMIM.
Barring Mr Ram Gopal Yadav who said, “Whoever defeats the BJP is welcome,” most other Samajwadi Party leaders have viewed AIMIM as a vote-splitter among Muslim voters rather than an ally. Many Congress leaders have also accused AIMIM of indirectly benefiting the BJP by fragmenting opposition votes. This perception remains strong within sections of the INDIA bloc.
Owaisi, meanwhile, said his party was open to joining hands with other opposition parties to prevent the BJP from returning to power in the state. “We are prepared to form an alliance to stop the BJP… provided we are treated with respect and accorded equal status,” the AIMIM chief said. In the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, AIMIM led a coalition of smaller parties under the banner of the Bhagidari Parivartan Morcha. The alliance contested 94 seats but failed to win any, securing just 0.49 per cent of the vote. Again in 2024, it was part of the PDM alliance rather than aligning with SP-Congress.
In the Bihar elections, the AIMIM repeatedly expressed willingness to join the INDIA bloc. There are also reports of internal discussions within the INDIA bloc about whether accommodating AIMIM in a few Muslim-concentrated constituencies could prevent vote fragmentation, but there were not many takers, it is learnt.
Since AIMIM has not established a major electoral footprint in UP, it may be accommodated if it agreed to accept a smaller role. But the Samajwadi Party is likely to remain the biggest obstacle against the AIMIM joining the INDIA bloc. Recent reports also indicate that Asaduddin Owaisi has formally launched AIMIM’s campaign activities for the UP elections, suggesting the party is planning for a standalone contest unless negotiations dramatically change.
