Owaisi announces third front for UP polls; promises 2 chief ministers

Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), the Jan Adhikar Party (JAP) and the Bharatiya Mukti Morcha (BMM) have stitched an alliance to form a “third front” ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh.

Announcing the third front, ‘Bhagidari Parivartan Morcha’, on Saturday, Owaisi said that the alliance will have two chief minister and three deputy chief minister if it comes to power.

“If the people of UP give this alliance power, it has been decided that over the course of five years, there will be two chief ministers. One from the OBC community and one from the Dalit community, and there will be three deputy CMs, including one from the Muslim community,” he told reporters.

Former UP minister and JAP chief Babu Singh Kushwaha has been made the convener of the front while BMM leader Waman Meshram has been made the president.

Kushwaha, who was a minister in the Bahujan Samaj Party government in 2007-2012 has influence the Kushwaha, Maurya, Shakya and Saini communities in the Bundelkhand region. Meshram is an influential Dalit leader and the president of the All India Backward (SC, ST, OBC) and Minorities Community Employees Federation.

Owaisi said the new front will fight the election in all the 403 Assembly seats.

BMM leader Meshram invited other parties to join the alliance.

While Owaisi was in talks with parties like Shivpal Yadav’s Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party and Om Prakash Rajbhar’s SBSB among others for the past few months, nothing has been finalised so far.

The candidates of the parties in the alliance have already filed nomination for the 58 Assembly seats for which polling will be held in the first phase on February 10.