Uttar Pradesh Minister and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar on 21 September 2026 firmly dismissed the prospect of a pre-poll alliance between All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. Rajbhar cited irreconcilable differences over political leadership and Muslim community representation as the core obstacle to any such tie-up.

Rajbhar's Case Against the Alliance

Speaking in response to Owaisi's recent remarks about a possible electoral arrangement, Rajbhar was blunt: 'They will not form an alliance, so they should not remain under any illusion. Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi consider themselves leaders of the Muslim community. Owaisi ji wants a Muslim to become Chief Minister. Neither Akhilesh Yadav nor Rahul Gandhi likes that, so how will these people form an alliance?'

The assessment points to a fundamental tension at the heart of opposition consolidation efforts in Uttar Pradesh — competing claims over minority vote mobilisation between national and regional parties on one side, and Owaisi's identity-first politics on the other.

Rajbhar Revisits UP Bifurcation Demand

Beyond the alliance question, Rajbhar reiterated his long-held position that Uttar Pradesh — the country's most populous state — should eventually be divided into four separate states, with the eastern belt of Purvanchal emerging as a distinct administrative unit. 'There is such a large population in Purvanchal, and the most important thing is that Uttar Pradesh is the largest state in the country. Sooner or later, whether today, tomorrow or the day after, it is bound to be divided,' he said.

Rajbhar went further, arguing that a divided UP would consolidate political power for communities concentrated in the east. Speaking from Ambedkar Nagar, he claimed: 'The day Uttar Pradesh is divided into four parts, given the population in Purvanchal, and since we are in Ambedkar Nagar, whoever we form an alliance with, it is certain that the first Chief Minister of Purvanchal will be a son of the Rajbhar community.'

Owaisi's October 2 Deadline

Rajbhar's remarks directly follow a statement by Owaisi, who announced that AIMIM would declare its alliance decision for the 2027 UP polls by 2 October 2026. Addressing a public gathering in Kanpur, Owaisi had said his party was open to joining hands with any grouping willing to prevent the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from winning a third consecutive term in the state. He added that AIMIM was actively looking to expand its footprint in Uttar Pradesh.

Notably, this is not the first time the possibility of an AIMIM-SP-Congress understanding has been floated and shot down. Similar discussions surfaced ahead of the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, only to collapse over seat-sharing and ideological disagreements. The pattern of overture followed by fracture has become a recurring feature of UP opposition politics.

What This Means for 2027

With roughly a year before campaign season intensifies, opposition fragmentation in Uttar Pradesh appears structural rather than tactical. A fractured field historically benefits the ruling dispensation, and Rajbhar's prediction — however self-serving — reflects a genuine fault line that strategists across parties acknowledge privately. Whether Owaisi's 2 October announcement reshapes the calculus, or merely confirms the divisions Rajbhar has outlined, will be closely watched across the state's 403 assembly constituencies.