Kishanganj: Asaduddin Owaisi, president of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), arrived in Kishanganj late on Friday as part of a two-day outreach tour in Bihar, seen as a crucial step towards galvanising support ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.
The visit comes amid growing discontent over the Waqf Amendment Act, with Owaisi expected to position his party as a voice for Muslim interests in the Seemanchal region. A key event of the tour is a public meeting scheduled in Bahadurganj on Saturday, where Owaisi will be joined by AIMIM state president and Amaur MLA Akhtarul Iman, along with former Bahadurganj MLA Tausif Alam, who recently joined the party in Hyderabad.
Party sources say the tour is intended to both strengthen the AIMIM’s base and prepare its cadre for electoral mobilisation. Owaisi travelled by road from Bagdogra, and his itinerary includes a series of events aimed at attracting new members and consolidating support in districts where AIMIM made significant inroads during the 2020 assembly elections.
In a pointed remark directed at the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), though without naming its leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, Owaisi said, “The people of Seemanchal will teach a lesson to those who stole our MLAs.” In 2020, AIMIM had won five seats in the Bihar Assembly, but four of its MLAs later defected to the RJD, weakening the party’s presence.
The Bahadurganj rally is expected to witness a formal induction of several new members on stage, signalling the party’s ongoing efforts to rebuild its organisational strength in the state. The tour also serves as a response to Alam’s request for a programme in his constituency following his defection from the Congress.
Owaisi’s pitch against the Waqf amendments and his attacks on rivals are likely to shape the party’s narrative in the months leading up to the polls, especially in Muslim-majority areas that were once considered strongholds.
