AIMIM to contest 100 seats in Bihar polls after being spurned by INDIA Bloc: Owaisi

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), led by Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, has announced plans to contest around 100 seats in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections after being excluded from the INDIA bloc.

This marks a fivefold increase from the number of seats the party contested in the 2020 elections.

The elections for the 243-member Bihar Assembly will take place on November 6 and 11, with vote counting scheduled for November 14.

Speaking to PTI-Bhasha, AIMIM’s Bihar state president Akhtarul Iman said, “Our plan is to contest 100 seats. Both the NDA and the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ (the name by which the INDIA bloc is known in Bihar) will be forced to realise our presence.” He also noted that the ‘Mahagathbandhan,’ which in 2020 accused AIMIM of splitting secular votes, can no longer make that claim.

“It is now common knowledge that I wrote to (RJD president) Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi Yadav, expressing willingness for a tie-up. But no response came. 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,” Iman added.

The AIMIM has positioned itself as a potential “third alternative” in Bihar politics, which has long been dominated by the BJP-led NDA and the Congress-RJD alliance.

In the 2020 Bihar assembly elections, the AIMIM had contested in alliance with former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the now-defunct Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) led by Upendra Kushwaha. Since then, Kushwaha has launched a new party, the Rashtriya Lok Morcha, and joined the NDA.

The AIMIM had won five seats in the 2020 elections and was believed to have weakened the RJD, Congress, and Left in several constituencies. However, four of its MLAs joined the RJD in 2022, leaving Iman as the party’s only legislator in Bihar.

Iman, who had previously been associated with both the RJD and the JD(U) led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, now leads AIMIM’s efforts to expand its base in the state.

Political observers say the AIMIM is targeting constituencies with a high Muslim population. Muslims make up over 17 percent of Bihar’s total population but have historically been underrepresented in the state legislature.

Last month, Owaisi visited the Seemanchal region for four days, touring minority-dominated districts such as Kishanganj, Araria, Katihar, and Purnea.

Owaisi has accused the RJD, JD(U), and Congress of neglecting Muslim concerns. In response, his critics accuse AIMIM of acting as the “B team of the BJP,” claiming the party divides secular votes, benefiting the saffron party.