AIMIM writes to Lalu, seeks alliance in Bihar ahead of polls
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Patna: Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM has signalled its intent to join the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar—currently comprising the RJD, Congress, and Left parties—ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.
Akhtarul Iman, AIMIM’s Bihar state president and its lone MLA, has formally written to RJD chief Lalu Prasad, requesting the party’s inclusion in the grand alliance.
In a letter dated July 2, shared by party leaders on social media, Iman stated that AIMIM’s inclusion in Bihar’s version of the INDIA bloc “will prevent a split in secular votes”.
“This will ensure that the next government in the state is formed by the Mahagathbandhan,” he claimed, adding that the party had attempted to join the coalition during the previous Assembly elections as well and that this time Owaisi had already conveyed his wish to “leaders of the Congress and the Left over the phone”.
In the 2020 assembly polls, AIMIM had allied with Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the now-defunct Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP), led by former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha, who is now with the NDA.
The party secured five seats, all in the Muslim-majority Seemanchal region, and was seen as having dented the Mahagathbandhan’s vote share in several constituencies.
The RJD-led alliance ultimately fell short of a majority by about a dozen seats.
By 2022, all AIMIM MLAs except Iman had switched over to the RJD.
(inputs from PTI)