Ranchi, July 31: The Azad Samaj Party (ASP), led by Chandrashekhar Azad, has begun preparations for the 2027 Jharkhand Panchayat elections, with the party announcing an ambitious organisational expansion plan and ruling out any electoral alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
Addressing the media, ASP Jharkhand State President Kashif Raza said the party has launched a statewide membership drive aimed at enrolling 10,000 members in each of Jharkhand’s 24 districts as part of its strategy to strengthen its grassroots presence.
“The Azad Samaj Party is preparing to contest the panchayat elections in 2027. We have started organisational work to expand the party’s base in the state,” Raza said.
He said the party intends to contest all seats across the state’s more than 4,000 panchayats, describing the local body elections as the platform for the party’s major political expansion.
Referring to the 2024 Jharkhand Assembly elections, Raza said the ASP had contested 12 seats, secured nearly 80,000 votes, and registered a 0.87 per cent vote share.
“Our vote share was less than 1%. It was 0.87%,” he said.
Expressing confidence about the party’s prospects, Raza said, “We will make a big entry through the Panchayat elections. We are expanding and strengthening our organization at the Panchayat level.”
The ASP also ruled out any alliance with the BSP in future elections.
“The BSP has derailed the political environment for the deprived and backward people. It has mortgaged it to the BJP. We will contest the elections alone. There will be no alliance with the BSP,” Raza alleged, adding that the ASP would seek to occupy the political space left by the BSP.
The party simultaneously targeted the Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand government, alleging deterioration in law and order, increasing incidents of land grabbing, rising crime and growing public dissatisfaction.
ASP Vice President Mumtaz Ahmed Khan alleged that several cases related to atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, including more than 80 cases in Palamu, remain pending and claimed that scholarships for eligible students have not been disbursed.
Party leader Ajay Singh Chero also alleged that Khas Mahal land in Daltonganj was being encroached upon with the alleged connivance of government officials.
The statements come as political parties in Jharkhand begin strengthening their organisational networks ahead of the 2027 Panchayat elections, which are expected to serve as a key test of grassroots political influence across the state.
