AIMIM To Contest 100 Seats In Bihar, Challenges INDIA Bloc, Seeks Third Front
AIMIM’s Bihar president Akhtarul Iman said, “Our plan is to contest 100 seats. Both the NDA and the 'Mahagathbandhan' (the INDIA bloc in Bihar) will be forced to realise our presence.”
The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), which has been sidelined by the INDIA bloc in Bihar, announced on Saturday that it plans to contest around 100 seats in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, five times the number it contested in 2020.
The Hyderabad-based party, led by MP Asaduddin Owaisi, aims to position itself as a third alternative in a state traditionally dominated by the BJP-led NDA and the RJD-Congress combine.
AIMIM’s Bihar president Akhtarul Iman said, “Our plan is to contest 100 seats. Both the NDA and the 'Mahagathbandhan' (the INDIA bloc in Bihar) will be forced to realise our presence.” He added that the Mahagathbandhan, which in 2020 had accused AIMIM of splitting secular votes, “can no longer do so.”
Iman also revealed that he had previously reached out to RJD leaders Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav, expressing willingness for an electoral alliance, but received no response. “Now, we must do all that we can to expand our footprints. Yes, we are also in talks with like-minded parties to explore the possibility of a third front. It will all be clear in a few days,” he said.
The Bihar Assembly elections will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, with vote counting scheduled for November 14.
In the 2020 polls, AIMIM had contested in alliance with BSP leader Mayawati and the now-defunct Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP), headed by ex-Union minister Upendra Kushwaha, who has since floated a new party, Rashtriya Lok Morcha, and joined the NDA.
During the 2020 elections, AIMIM won five seats and was credited with affecting the vote share of the RJD, Congress, and Left combine in several constituencies. However, in 2022, four AIMIM MLAs joined the RJD, leaving Iman as the lone legislator representing the party in Bihar.
Political analysts note that AIMIM sees an electoral catchment in Bihar’s Seemanchal region, where Muslims make up over 17 per cent of the population but have historically lacked proportional legislative representation. Last month, Owaisi toured Kishanganj, Araria, Katihar, and Purnea over four days, engaging with minority communities.
While Owaisi has criticised the RJD, JD(U), and Congress for neglecting Muslims, his party has faced accusations of acting as a “B team of the BJP,” allegedly splitting secular votes to benefit the saffron party.
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