– Md. Sami Ahmad
Patna, March 14: Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has announced to fight on 11 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha election. Many see it as a setback to non-BJP parties as they fear a division in Muslim votes.
In a press conference held at Kishanganj on Wednesday, AIMIM state president MLA Akhtarul Iman announced that the party will field its candidates from all four seats of Seemanchal – Kishanganj, Araria, Purnia and Katihar. The seven other seats are Buxar, Kakarat, Ujiyapur, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Bhagalpur and Gaya.
Iman said AIMIM tried to get a place in the INDIA bloc but that could not be done. He claimed that his party will win in all 11 seats.
Though the candidates for the 11 seats were not announced, it is considered that Iman will be the AIMIM candidate from Kishanganj, which is the only Muslim-majority seat in Bihar. Iman fought from this seat in 2019 and finished third with over three lakh votes. Mohammad Jawed of the Congress was the winner of this seat.
AIMIM will have to field a Dalit community candidate from Gaya as it is reserved for the Scheduled Caste.
Political observers say AIMIM is eyeing on Seemanchal and Mithilanchal areas to make its presence felt. Last time five of its candidates registered victory in the Seemanchal area in the 2020 Assembly election. However, later, four of them deserted AIMIM and joined RJD.
Political opponents allege that Asaduddin Owaisi’s decision to field AIMIM candidates helped the BJP as it caused polarisation resulting in the division of Muslim votes. While AIMIM maintains that it’s a democratic right to fight elections, alleging that the ‘so-called’ secular parties ignore Muslims and their issues.
