Although AIMIM had expressed interest in a potential alliance with the Maha Vikas Aghadi, there has been no formal response from the coalition
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is considering going solo for the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, aiming to contest a substantial number of seats.
In the 2019 elections, AIMIM won two seats, and it appears to be focused on expanding its presence in the state.
Although AIMIM had expressed interest in a potential alliance with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition, which includes the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar), and Shiv Sena (UBT), there has been no formal response from the coalition. As a result, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi is preparing to field candidates independently, according to media reports.
However, the party is open to collaborating with smaller regional outfits to increase its electoral chances.
The AIMIM aims to strengthen its base in regions with significant Muslim populations in the state, such as Malegaon, Dhule, and Aurangabad.
The party’s decision is understood to impact the dynamics of the opposition, particularly if it splits votes that might otherwise go to the MVA or other opposition parties.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha election also the AIMIM had gone solo, given that it could not salvage its earlier alliance with the Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA).
Maharashtra is likely to go to polls in November this year. It may be recalled that AIMIM won the Aurangabad Lok Sabha seat in 2019 with VBA support.
The AIMIM and VBA alliance however broke-off eventually, and Prakash Ambedkar also decided to contest elections on his own later.
“Prakash Ambedkar or the MVA was not with us during the Lok Sabha election also. They will be used by the Congress or the Hindutva groups also, and have become a lightweight. He wants to put up 200 candidates, instead of putting up fewer but stronger candidates.
“Dalits are a divided community, wherein they have Buddhist and Hindu Dalits,” said an AIMIM leader.
The Maharashtra Assembly has 288 seats. In the 2019 state polls, the BJP won 105 seats and was the single largest party. The Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress won 56, 54 and 44 seats, while the AIMIM won two seats.
The Shiv Sena, which was in an alliance with the BJP broke it off due to internal issues and decided to form the MVA with Congress and NCP.
However, last year, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar along with their MLAs split their parties and joined the BJP, which eventually managed to overthrow the MVA government.
