Owaisi targets dynastic politics, backs young Muslim leaders for UP polls

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has said his party will not make any Nehru, Gandhi or Yadav its leader, promising instead to promote young Muslim men and women ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. Speaking at a public meeting in Rampur on Sunday, 18 October, Owaisi said Muslim youth had the talent to lead but were denied a platform. “We will not make any Nehru, Gandhi, or Yadav our leader. AIMIM is giving young Muslims an opportunity,” he said.

Owaisi also attacked Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, accusing his party of treating Muslims as a vote bank for generations. He claimed Muslims had been “destroyed” by voting for the SP and questioned what the party had given to constituencies like Azamgarh. Owaisi asserted that the era of Muslims serving as a vote bank was over and that AIMIM was giving youth a chance to become leaders. The party is eyeing about 200 seats in the state, and Owaisi has offered to join hands with opposition parties, including the SP, to challenge the BJP. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has indicated he will continue with existing alliance partners. AIMIM has faced allegations from opposition leaders that it helps the BJP by splitting anti-BJP votes, a charge Owaisi has denied.