Patna: Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has signalled it is open to joining forces with Bihar’s Grand Alliance ahead of upcoming elections, even as confusion persists over whether talks between the parties are genuinely underway.
Owaisi has publicly extended an olive branch to the INDIA bloc in Bihar, stating that his party is prepared to align with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress-led coalition if it helps prevent the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) from returning to power.
“If the Grand Alliance wants to stop the NDA’s return to power in Bihar, then we are ready to go along. But the decision has to be taken by the allies of the Grand Alliance,” Owaisi said, adding that if an alliance fails to materialise, AIMIM would contest seats both inside and outside the Seemanchal region.
He revealed that AIMIM’s Bihar unit president, Akhtarul Iman, has held conversations with some leaders of the Grand Alliance, reiterating the party’s commitment to preventing a BJP or NDA comeback. “Five years ago, I also tried it personally. But it did not yield any result. This time also our state president is trying, but it is up to him,” Owaisi said.
However, Grand Alliance leader and RJD chief Tejashwi Yadav has cast doubt on the possibility of a partnership, telling reporters that no discussions have yet taken place with AIMIM.
Owaisi has hinted that AIMIM could expand its contest beyond Seemanchal, though he declined to specify a seat count, saying it was too early to make an announcement. Nonetheless, he has already declared candidates for Bahadurganj and Dhaka constituencies.
Previously, Owaisi indicated his party might contest as many as 50 seats in the state. In the 2020 Bihar assembly elections, AIMIM fielded candidates in 20 seats, winning five, all in the Muslim-majority Seemanchal region, comprising the districts of Araria, Purnia, Katihar and Kishanganj. However, four of those MLAs later defected to the RJD, leaving only Akhtarul Iman representing AIMIM in the assembly.
In the seats it contested in 2020, AIMIM secured 14.28% of the votes, underscoring its influence in Seemanchal—a factor that could significantly impact the Grand Alliance’s electoral calculations.
