UP 2027: Muslim cleric demands SP field Muslim CM candidate or lose votes
Synopsis
A senior Muslim cleric has publicly warned the Samajwadi Party that its traditional Muslim vote base — which he puts at 22 per cent of UP's electorate — will not turn out as it did in 2022 unless SP commits to a Muslim Chief Ministerial candidate for 2027. The demand, now backed by multiple Muslim leaders including a reference to Owaisi, signals a potential fracture in one of SP's most reliable electoral coalitions.
Key Takeaways
Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi of the All India Muslim Jamaat has written to SP chief Akhilesh Yadav demanding a Muslim Chief Ministerial candidate for the 2027 UP Assembly elections .
Razvi argues Muslims form 22 per cent of UP's population — far exceeding the Yadav community's estimated 7 per cent — and deserve the top post.
He warned that Muslim support for SP in 2027 will fall short of the levels seen in the 2022 elections if the demand is not met.
Sufi Kashish Warsi of the Indian Sufi Foundation backed the demand, also referencing a similar call by Asaduddin Owaisi .
The demand puts pressure on SP's Muslim-Yadav alliance, a cornerstone of the party's electoral strategy in Uttar Pradesh.
Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi, National President of the All India Muslim Jamaat, has formally written to Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav demanding that the party declare a Muslim as its Chief Ministerial face for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, warning that failure to do so will cost SP significant Muslim support. The letter, disclosed in Bareilly on 22 June, cites the community's 22 per cent share of UP's population as the basis for the claim.
The Core Demand
Razvi argued that Muslims, who constitute approximately 22 per cent of Uttar Pradesh's population, outnumber the Yadav community — which he placed at around 7 per cent — and have historically been the larger vote bloc underpinning SP's electoral fortunes. He demanded that Akhilesh Yadav publicly announce he will not himself seek the Chief Minister's post and instead nominate a Muslim leader from within the SP as the party's CM candidate for 2027.
'I have written a letter to Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. In it, I have presented my views regarding the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections,' Razvi said.
Historical Loyalty Invoked
In his letter, Razvi invoked decades of Muslim electoral support for the Yadav family, stating that the community helped make Mulayam Singh Yadav Chief Minister on multiple occasions and backed Akhilesh Yadav's own rise to the top post. He further noted that Muslims played a role in electing members of the Yadav family — including Akhilesh's brother, uncle, wife, and nephew — to both the State Assembly and Parliament.
'Akhilesh Yadav's family owes a great deal to the Muslim community. Therefore, through my letter, I have demanded that a Muslim be declared the Chief Ministerial face for the 2027 elections,' Razvi said.
Warning to SP on 2027 Support
Razvi made the political stakes explicit, warning that without such an announcement, SP should not anticipate the same mobilisation it received in 2022. 'The enthusiasm and commitment with which Muslims supported the Samajwadi Party in the 2022 elections will not be seen in 2027,' he said. He added that if the demand is met, Muslims will vote for SP 'in large numbers.'
Support From Other Muslim Voices
Sufi Kashish Warsi, National President of the Indian Sufi Foundation, backed the demand, urging political parties to provide 'meaningful representation' to the Muslim community. 'I am not surprised by Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi's demand; rather, I am saddened by the fate of Muslims. Political parties that use Muslims like something that is discarded after use in politics should give them proper representation,' Warsi said. He also noted that Asaduddin Owaisi, chief of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), has raised a similar demand. With multiple Muslim voices now aligned on the issue, the pressure on SP's leadership ahead of 2027 is set to intensify.
Point of View
But because it signals that the Muslim-Yadav alliance — the backbone of SP's electoral arithmetic — is under visible strain ahead of 2027. Razvi's letter is as much a pressure tactic as a genuine demand, designed to extract greater ticket-share and policy concessions. What mainstream coverage misses is the timing: with the BJP consolidating its OBC outreach and AIMIM's Owaisi making similar noises, SP faces a two-front squeeze on its core coalition. The party's silence or response will itself become a campaign signal.
NationPress
22 Jun 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What has Maulana Razvi demanded from the Samajwadi Party for UP 2027?
Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi has demanded that SP chief Akhilesh Yadav publicly announce he will not contest as CM and instead nominate a Muslim leader from within the party as its Chief Ministerial candidate for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. He cited Muslims comprising 22 per cent of UP's population as the basis for the claim.
Why is Maulana Razvi making this demand now?
Razvi argues that Muslims have been the larger vote bloc — at 22 per cent versus the Yadav community's approximately 7 per cent — and have historically delivered electoral victories for the Yadav family across multiple elections. He contends that this loyalty has not been reciprocated with proportional political representation at the top.
What happens if SP does not meet the demand?
Razvi has warned that Muslim voters will not show the same 'enthusiasm and commitment' in 2027 that they showed for SP in the 2022 elections. He stopped short of calling for a boycott but made clear that reduced Muslim turnout for SP is a real possibility.
Who else has supported this demand?
Sufi Kashish Warsi, National President of the Indian Sufi Foundation, publicly backed Razvi's demand and urged SP to nominate a Muslim man or woman as CM candidate. Warsi also noted that AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has previously raised a similar demand.
How significant is the Muslim vote in Uttar Pradesh?
According to Razvi, Muslims constitute approximately 22 per cent of Uttar Pradesh's population, making them one of the state's largest single community blocs. The community has historically been a critical component of SP's electoral coalition, contributing to multiple victories for the Yadav family.
