Lucknow: The formation of the 'Samajik Parivartan Morcha' ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly Polls on Thursday drew sharp reactions from the BJP, Samajwadi Party and Congress, with the ruling party asserting its commitment to marginalised sections and the opposition questioning the alliance's political prospects.

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Earlier in the day, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi and Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) chief Chandrashekhar Aazad announced the Samajik Parivartan Morcha, an alliance, for the upcoming state election.

BJP state president Pankaj Chaudhary said opposition parties treated Dalits, backward classes and deprived sections merely as vote banks, but the BJP provided them respect, security and opportunities.

"Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the poor have benefited from government schemes without discrimination. People will once again choose the politics of development in 2027," Chaudhary told PTI.

Samajwadi Party spokesperson Abbas Haider said there was nothing objectionable about political parties joining hands to contest elections, as they have every democratic right to do so. However, he questioned the two parties' electoral prospects.

Haider said leaders seeking to expand their political footprint in Uttar Pradesh should first demonstrate their organisational strength and public support in their home states.

"Their electoral performance in the 2022 assembly election is there for everyone to see," Haider told PTI.

He said the 2027 election would be fought on issues such as unemployment, inflation, law and order and governance failures, and asserted that voters would ultimately decide the outcome.

Congress leader Asim Waqar, who recently switched from the AIMIM to the Congress, alleged that the newly announced alliance was formed at the BJP's behest.

"Some leaders work from time to time to help the BJP," he said in a video statement.

Waqar urged voters, particularly from the Muslim community, to prevent the ruling party from securing a third consecutive term in Uttar Pradesh.

Separately, in an X post, Waqar slammed the coalition for declaring Chandrashekhar Aazad as its chief ministerial face and wondered why not a Muslim.

Earlier, while announcing the tie-up, Aazad said the alliance will unite deprived, oppressed and marginalised sections and give them a political platform to secure power.

He and Owaisi stressed that with the alliance, their aim is to stop the BJP's victory chariot in the state.

The two leaders said the coalition is open to support from the Samajwadi Party and the Congress.

The two parties also announced plans to hold a public rally in Lucknow on November 26, Constitution Day.

The SP is also scheduled to unveil its poll manifesto the same day.

Both AIMIM and ASP had contested the 2022 UP Assembly Polls but failed to win any seats.

The AIMIM has faced allegations of being the BJP's 'B-team' and a vote-cutter, despite expressing interest in joining the INDIA bloc, a possibility ruled out by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav. Aazad too had expressed interest to ally with the SP.

Earlier, Congress leader Imran Masood termed such alliances inconsequential.

However, their impact will be closely watched in western UP and Rohilkhand, where Dalits and Muslims constitute sizeable voter groups.

(This story has not been edited by Mathrubhumi and is published from a syndicated feed.)