Akhilesh on alliance talk with Owaisi-Azad front: 'Will go ahead with existing partners'

Lucknow, Nov 13 (PTI) Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday said he would continue with his existing alliance partners and suggested the newly forged Owaisi-Aazad front to prove its worth on the ground.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and Azad Samaj Party (Kanshiram) leader Chandra Shekhar Aazad on Thursday announced the Samajik Parivartan Morcha, or SPM, an alliance, for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly Polls.

"The election date will be announced before January 10. We are moving forward in collaboration with our previous alliance partners. In fact, I would suggest that they establish a permanent presence here; it would foster better coordination and facilitate ongoing dialogue," Yadav told reporters here at party headquarters.

"We, the samajwadis, will unite to take on the BJP, work to remove it from power, and ensure it is removed once and for all," he added.

On Friday, Nagina MP Chandra Shekhar Aazad asserted that his battle is against the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh, and not the opposition.

The two leaders have invited the Samajwadi Party, Congress and other parties to join hands to prevent the BJP from returning to power for a third consecutive term.

At a press conference here on Thursday, the two leaders said the SPM would provide an independent political platform to the deprived, oppressed and marginalised communities.

"I do not wish to fight against the opposition. The battle is against the ruling party. We have resolved to uproot the BJP. This alliance will drive the final nail into the BJP's coffin," Aazad told PTI Videos on Thursday.

Aazad rejected allegations that his party was acting as the BJP's "B team" and questioned the Congress and other opposition parties about contesting against each other in different states.

Aazad also cited remarks by the Congress national president, who reportedly described the Aam Aadmi Party as the BJP's "B team" at a rally in Punjab. PTI