Owaisi Open to Alliance to Stop BJP in UP, Says AIMIM Will Decide After October 2

AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has said his party is open to an alliance with parties seeking to prevent the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from returning to power in Uttar Pradesh for a third consecutive term. Addressing a public meeting in Kanpur's Cantonment constituency on Sunday, September 20, 2026, he urged voters to strengthen the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) in the state and said the Muslim community needs a voice in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly.

"We also do not want the BJP government to be formed in UP for the third time. If you want to stop the BJP from forming the government again, come and join hands with AIMIM," Mr. Owaisi said.

He said his party would wait until October 2 and announce its alliance, if any, after that. Referring to the Bihar elections, he said AIMIM had offered to contest six seats as part of an alliance but was instead subjected to what he called false allegations.

Mr. Owaisi also criticised Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav. He asked the audience: "Your Akhilesh 'bhaiya' came to power, how many riots took place?" He then referred to the Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013, saying around 50,000 people had been displaced from their homes and villages, and questioned the representation of Muslims in the SP government at the time. The 2013 riots, which affected Muzaffarnagar and adjoining areas, killed more than 60 people and displaced tens of thousands, according to official figures and media reports.

The AIMIM chief accused successive governments in Uttar Pradesh of failing to address the socio-economic and educational problems of Muslims. "Now elections are coming, so many people will come to you. They will show you the old fear," he said, referring to appeals to Muslim voters to support established political parties to prevent the BJP from returning to power.

Mr. Owaisi also criticised the BJP government over its actions concerning madrasas and referred to the role of Muslim clerics and religious scholars in India's freedom struggle. He criticised Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over his references to freedom fighter and former Congress president Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar. Speaking about the history of Kanpur's madrasas, Mr. Owaisi claimed that Muslim ulemas had issued a fatwa against the British during the freedom movement.

The remarks come ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections due in 2027. The BJP has been in power in the state since 2017 and is seeking a third consecutive term. AIMIM has a limited electoral presence in Uttar Pradesh, and Mr. Owaisi's outreach signals an attempt to position his party as a possible partner in a broader anti-BJP formation. Any alliance decision, he indicated, will be announced after October 2.

Muslim voters form a significant minority in Uttar Pradesh and their voting preferences are closely watched in Assembly elections. Mr. Owaisi has often argued that mainstream parties treat Muslim voters as a vote bank and fail to address their concerns, a charge those parties reject. The BJP has said its welfare schemes are for all communities and that its government has worked for the development of all sections.