AIMIM to contest 100 seats in UP elections, announces alliance with Om Prakash Rajbhar

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi announced his party's entry into the electoral politics in Uttar Pradesh and revealed on Sunday that the outfit would be contesting the upcoming Assembly elections in 2022 along with Om Prakash Rajbhar's Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha. After tasting victory in the Bihar Assembly elections last year, AIMIM has now decided to ally with OP Rajbhar's party for the UP Assembly elections scheduled to be held next year. 

Owaisi's AIMIM to contest in UP elections 

Noting that the candidate selection process was underway, AIMIM chief Owaisi said that his party would be contesting in 100 seats in the Uttar Pradesh polls. Owaisi said that the candidate application form had also been released. 

('UP I want to put some things in front of you about the election:- 1) We have decided that we will field our candidates on 100 seats, the party has started the process of selecting the candidates and we have also released the candidate application form.' Owaisi wrote on Twitter.)

Further, Owaisi highlighted that AIMIM was in alliance with Om Prakash Rajbhar's Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha and categorically stated that he had not held alliance talks with any other parties. 

('Our alliance is with Om Prakash Rajbhar Sahab's 'Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha'. There has been no talk with us and any party regarding elections or alliance,' Owaisi wrote.)

Meanwhile, earlier on Sunday, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati dismissed reports of an alliance with Owaisi's AIMIM for the UP Assembly elections and announced her decision to go solo. 

2022 UP Assembly elections 

Meanwhile, in UP, BJP has stated it will fight polls under the leadership of incumbent CM Yogi Adityanath. As of date,  several fronts have cropped up to challenge the ruling BJP. While Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj is eyeing an alliance with AIMIM, Azad Samaj Party, Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party; parties like AAP, Shiv Sena, and JDU have announced that they will be contesting for the UP polls. Samajwadi Party and BSP have decided to not ally and shut their doors to Congres, opting to ally with smaller parties if needed or go solo. Since then, Congress has aggressively campaigned under the leadership of Priyanka Gandhi in the state, eyeing its solo return. 

In 2017, polls were marked by tumultuous family fights in the Yadav family - with Akhilesh throwing out uncle Shivpal and replacing Mulayam Singh Yadav as the party chief. Later, the then-UP CM stitched an alliance with Congress - with Akhilesh and Rahul Gandhi holding joint rallies. This poll-alliance failed miserably, winning only 55 seats, while the BJP won 312 seats - ushering in Yogi Adityanath's maiden term.