LUCKNOW, July 11 -- The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has stepped up its campaign ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, with party president Asaduddin Owaisi scheduled to address public meetings in key Muslim-dominated areas of western UP. Owaisi will address "Jan Chetna" programmes in Saharanpur on July 18 and in Moradabad on July 25, party officials announced. The public meetings follow rallies in Bahraich's Matera constituency in mid-June, where the party formally launched its campaign in the state and declared state president Shaukat Ali as its candidate, and in Bijnor's Najibabad later that month. At the rallies, Owaisi criticised both the ruling BJP and the opposition Samajwadi Party (SP), accusing successive governments of failing to ensure genuine political empowerment for Muslims. Urging the community to move beyond "vote-bank politics", he called for independent political representation and equal power-sharing. While reiterating AIMIM's willingness to ally with other parties to defeat the BJP, he said any alliance must be based on "respect and equality". The party claims to have strengthened its booth-level organisation in around 200 assembly constituencies. It is focusing on consolidating Muslim support in western UP, particularly in Saharanpur, Moradabad, Bijnor, Muzaffarnagar, Rampur and Amroha, where the community has a significant presence. "Barrister Asaduddin Owaisi will expose the atrocities against Muslims and Dalits by the BJP and the Samajwadi Party's soft Hindutva policy. We are preparing to contest strongly across western UP and other parts of the state," AIMIM spokesperson Shadab Chauhan said. Chauhan also targeted SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, alleging that the party had failed Muslims despite decades of electoral support. Referring to Yadav's recent Ram Mandir-related outreach, he accused the SP of sidelining core Muslim issues, including protests against alleged atrocities. Responding to AIMIM's campaign, Samajwadi Party national spokesperson Abbas Haider dismissed AIMIM's efforts, saying the real contest in Uttar Pradesh remains between the BJP and the SP. "The people of the state have already made up their minds. The Samajwadi Party is fighting for the rights of the PDA (Pichhde, Dalit, Alpsankhyak)," he said, adding that other parties must decide whether they wanted to strengthen the anti-BJP fight or divide opposition votes. Haider advised the AIMIM to first demonstrate strength in its home turf (Telangana) before expanding aggressively elsewhere. Muslims constitute roughly 19-20% of UP's population, with significantly higher concentrations in several western UP districts. How effectively AIMIM mobilises this support-and whether it translates into direct contests or strategic alliances-is likely to shape the state's electoral arithmetic ahead of the 2027 assembly elections. Matera in Bahraich has an estimated 40-45% Muslim population, with Muslims, Dalits and OBCs traditionally forming the Samajwadi Party's core support base. Najibabad in Bijnor is a Muslim-majority constituency, with Muslims accounting for over half the tehsil's population. In western UP, Saharanpur has a Muslim population of about 42%, with pockets such as Deoband having a much higher concentration. Moradabad, where Muslims constitute nearly half the population, has long been a stronghold of Muslim-backed parties, particularly the SP. Home to a large Pasmanda Muslim population, the district has seen electoral outcomes hinge on the consolidation of Muslim votes. Across these constituencies, Muslim voting patterns have historically influenced the fortunes of the SP, BSP and, at times, the BJP, making them key battlegrounds for AIMIM's expansion in the state....