NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh Congress working president Imran Masood has ruled out the possibility of an alliance between the INDIA bloc and Asaduddin Owaisi‘s AIMIM, criticising the latter’s political statements and his remarks on the ’80:20 formula’.Reacting to Owaisi’s offer to form an alliance, Masood said the decision on any electoral tie-up rested with the Congress leadership but maintained that the two sides had fundamentally different political positions.“Whether an alliance should be formed or not is a party decision. However, Asaduddin Owaisi’s speeches and statements do not align with our views. Our fight is for secularism and against the 80:20 formula that he talks about,” Masood said in an X post.Masood accuses Owaisi of encouraging polarisationThe Congress leader also cautioned against making political appeals that could deepen divisions between communities. He argued that targeting one community and calling for its consolidation could prompt the other community to unite in response.“The biggest issue is that when you target one community and talk about uniting it, the other community will naturally unite as well. Everyone understands who will suffer the consequences,” he said.Warning that such polarisation could benefit the BJP electorally, Masood said the people Owaisi claims to represent could ultimately bear the consequences of a BJP government coming to power.
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“A BJP government would be formed, and those who you claim to represent would bear the brunt. Why are you opening the way for them to be beaten? Instead, talk about protecting them,” he said.Uttar Pradesh is set to go to Assembly elections in 2027, with polling expected in February–March, although the Election Commission of India is yet to announce the official schedule. The five-year term of the current 403-member Assembly, constituted in May 2022, ends on May 22, 2027.Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will be seeking a second consecutive term for the BJP-led government, while the Samajwadi Party, Congress and other opposition parties are expected to challenge the ruling alliance.
