Owaisi pushes UP opposition alliance to block BJP's third term

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi called for an opposition alliance in Uttar Pradesh. The proposed pact aims to deny the BJP another term in the state.Image used for representational purposes onlyHyderabad,Oct 14, 2026 17:10 ISTAIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday reaffirmed his party's commitment to preventing the BJP from returning to power in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.Owaisi also called for an opposition alliance in Uttar Pradesh to stop the BJP government led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from securing a third term. He said talks on such an alliance were continuing.Responding to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's assertion that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the opposition should be prepared for a "crushing defeat" in 2029, Owaisi said the AIMIM's consistent goal was to defeat the BJP, while other political parties had to decide their own course of action.Owaisi noted that senior BJP leaders, including Shah and Adityanath, had campaigned against him in Hyderabad. "Despite this, AIMIM continues to work towards stopping the BJP in 2029," he said. Speaking to reporters in Hyderabad, Owaisi said no other party in Telangana had matched the AIMIM's efforts during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls over the past three months.He said the AIMIM had developed an app to help people of all religions during the revision process in Telangana, Maharashtra, Delhi and three districts of Uttarakhand. "Why could other political parties not do similar work?" he asked. "Though the AIMIM feels that the SIR was wrong, the process got a verdict in its favour in the Supreme Court. What are the options we are left with? Now, we have filed a review petition," he said.Owaisi on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court to challenge the manner in which the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls was being conducted.Turning to Uttar Pradesh politics, Owaisi said an alliance should be formed to prevent the BJP government led by Adityanath from being elected for a third term."We are saying that if you (Samajwadi Party and others) want to prevent Yogi Adityanath from becoming chief minister for a third time, something we also do not want, let us talk. We will form an alliance. Even today, we are making efforts to forge an alliance to ensure that the BJP does not form the government for a third time," he said.Referring to his earlier comments setting an October 2 deadline for opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh to finalise an alliance, Owaisi said the talks were still under way. He reiterated that the AIMIM would continue its efforts to defeat the BJP in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections and prevent it from securing a third term in Uttar Pradesh.- Ends