Patna: As Bihar gears up for Assembly elections, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) has stepped up efforts to join the Mahagathbandhan, demanding six seats from the alliance. The party, led by Asaduddin Owaisi, is focused on Seemanchal, a region with 47 percent Muslim population, far higher than the state average of 18 percent.
In the 2020 elections, AIMIM contested 20 seats, 16 of them in Seemanchal, and won five. All five victories came from the same region. The party is now asking for six seats, including the five it previously secured. AIMIM’s Bihar chief Akhtarul Iman has written twice to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leadership seeking entry into the alliance.
At a rally in Seemanchal, Owaisi said, “Give us six seats. We had won five earlier. Even if you come to power, do not make us ministers. Set up a Seemanchal Development Council instead. We too do not want the BJP to win.” He stressed that his party was committed to stopping the BJP’s advance in Bihar.
However, the RJD remains reluctant. Analysts argue that an alliance with AIMIM, often seen as a Muslim-centric party, could reinforce RJD’s own “Muslim party” image. Critics inside the Congress have previously accused AIMIM of splitting votes in close contests, calling it a “B-team of the BJP.”
If excluded, AIMIM has said it will contest 50 to 60 seats across Seemanchal, Mithilanchal, Magadh, and Shahabad, potentially fragmenting Muslim votes. Political observers warn that such a split could weaken the Mahagathbandhan’s prospects and indirectly benefit the NDA.
