Lucknow, August 2: With the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections approaching in 2027, Chandra Shekhar Azad, leader of the Azad Samaj Party (Kanshiram), is positioning himself as a formidable challenge to the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress. He has announced candidates for 45 seats, aiming to create a new political landscape.
The party has strategically fielded leaders from Scheduled Castes (SC), Other Backward Classes (OBC), Muslim, and Sikh communities to establish a parallel social equation to the People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA). Political analysts note that among the 45 candidates, there are 18 from SC, 16 from OBC, 10 from the Muslim community, and one from the Sikh community. The party has also nominated SC candidates in five general seats, including Lucknow Cantonment, Govind Nagar, and Vishwanathganj.
Senior political analyst Virendra Singh Rawat suggests that the social composition of these candidates indicates a deliberate strategy by the Azad Samaj Party to challenge both the SP and Congress. He believes that after a decline in the Bahujan Samaj Party’s (BSP) support, the Azad Samaj Party is now positioning itself as a competitor to both the BSP and SP.
Ratan Mani Lal, another senior political analyst, points out that Azad has shifted his electoral strategy to directly confront the SP’s political base. Initially, Azad’s political focus was on the BSP, but he is now working to establish himself as an alternative to the SP.
Lal emphasizes that the social equations in the contested seats align with the SP’s PDA formula. The focus on Dalits, OBCs, and Muslims suggests that Azad aims to penetrate the SP’s vote bank more than that of the BSP.
However, he notes that the Azad Samaj Party’s organizational and electoral structure is not yet robust enough to significantly impact the SP’s electoral prospects. Nonetheless, Azad has succeeded in creating political discomfort within the SP. Sunil Chitod, the Uttar Pradesh president of the Azad Samaj Party, dismissed opposition claims, asserting that their party is entering the electoral fray with an independent political ideology and is not a “B-team” of any party.
Chitod stated that the party’s goal is to contest all 403 assembly seats in the state, with the next list of candidates expected to be released within 10 to 12 days. He mentioned that the possibilities of alliances in politics always exist, and any future negotiations would be decided by the party’s national president, Chandra Shekhar Azad.
Regarding the lack of tickets for candidates from the general category, he explained that the party allocates tickets based on ideology and organizational affiliation rather than caste. SP spokesperson Ashutosh Verma remarked that the SP’s fight is for the rights of the backward, Dalit, minority, and marginalized communities. He added that any political force raising issues against the BJP strengthens the opposition’s struggle. Verma clarified that the SP does not view Chandra Shekhar Azad as a political rival and confirmed that there have been no discussions or initiatives regarding an alliance with the Azad Samaj Party at this time.
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