Asaduddin Owaisi and Chandrashekhar Azad have joined hands ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, with Azad projected as the alliance's Chief Ministerial face. Can the AIMIM-Azad Samaj Party combine reshape the Muslim-Dalit vote equation and challenge the BJP and Samajwadi Party? An analysis of the alliance, its potential electoral impact and the 58 constituencies where the BJP finished runner-up in 2022.