Throughout a bumpy four-hour drive from Bhagwangad in Beed to Pune, after protecting a BJP rally in 2014, 46-year-old TV journalist Imtiaz Jaleel discovered himself at a crossroads. This second of reflection finally led him to make a career-defining resolution. His gamble of becoming a member of politics paid off when he secured an sudden victory within the Aurangabad Central Meeting seat, serving to the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) set out on a path to construct a big area for itself in Maharashtra politics.
A decade later, regardless of the media consideration and political visibility that the AIMIM has garnered, the celebration, together with Jaleel, discover themselves on slippery floor in Maharashtra. As soon as seen as a potent car for political polarisation, the AIMIM is grappling with inner dissent and rising disillusionment amongst its core Muslim citizens. More and more, many Muslims are questioning the celebration’s capability to successfully problem the BJP’s dominance and are shifting their assist to different political forces they view as extra strategically viable.
Notably, an inventory issued by outstanding cleric Sajjad Nomani of candidates whom the Muslim group ought to vote for had no place for Jaleel.
The struggles of the AIMIM are maybe finest embodied by Jaleel, its state president. He’s now embroiled in one among his hardest political battles but, having shifted to Aurangabad East the place he faces a formidable problem from the BJP’s Atul Save. So as to add to his woes, Jaleel is up towards former ally Gaffar Quadri, the ex-working president of the AIMIM who not too long ago left the celebration and is now working as a candidate for the Samajwadi Celebration (SP).
Challenges in Aurangabad East
At 56, Jaleel, an MBA graduate and former journalist, has skilled a meteoric rise in state politics. After his win in 2014, he made historical past in 2019 by changing into the primary Muslim MP from Aurangabad in over 4 a long time. Because the AIMIM state president, Jaleel has earned the belief and ear of celebration chief Asaduddin Owaisi.
However he misplaced the Lok Sabha elections this yr and making an attempt a comeback within the Meeting polls. His strategic transfer to shift to Aurangabad East, the place Muslims represent 37% of the citizens, could look like a calculated resolution however has sparked discontent inside the celebration’s ranks. Quadri, a two-time candidate from Aurangabad East in 2014 and 2019, is now in open riot, accusing Jaleel and Owaisi of sidelining him. Quadri has alleged that Jaleel is appearing as a “slave” to BJP chief and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and serving to the BJP divide the Muslim vote.
Not like the AIMIM, which is commonly related to a Muslim-first agenda, Jaleel has managed to construct a broader coalition past the minority group primarily based on his private charisma and political goodwill. Nonetheless, the political panorama in Aurangabad East has shifted dramatically. The BJP is throwing its full weight behind Save, an in depth affiliate of Fadnavis whereas Jaleel faces dissent.
Jaleel himself has dismissed any rumours of a BJP “alliance”, saying, “To defeat me, numerous Muslim candidates have been put up. Everybody is aware of who’s funding them, who desires our votes divided, and who’s behind this conspiracy. The BJP has funded these males solely to make sure that the Muslim vote will get divided.” He stays optimistic that the Muslim-Maratha consolidation may carry him by way of.
Native activists, nonetheless, are extra sceptical. “He’s commemorated by many in Aurangabad and he has reached out to (quota activist) Manoj Jarange-Patil within the hope of securing Maratha assist. However with the BJP’s large polarisation marketing campaign and the dissent from his former affiliate, this election goes to be a tricky mountain for Jaleel to climb,” stated Sadiq Biyabani, an area.
Rising challenges for AIMIM
The AIMIM made a dramatic entry into Maharashtra politics in 2014 by securing Byculla and Aurangabad Central. Nonetheless, sustaining its foothold has confirmed troublesome. Within the 2019 elections, the celebration misplaced each seats by vital margins, although it did handle to win Malegaon Central, largely because of the affect of high-profile defectors, together with Mufti Ismail, and an sudden victory by Faruk Shah in Dhule.
However the celebration’s fortunes have since waned. Ismail’s hospitalisation after a coronary heart assault earlier this week, coupled with Shah going through robust competitors for the Muslim vote from the SP, has made retaining these seats more and more difficult. Moreover, the presence of formidable candidates from each the BJP and Shiv Sena (UBT) has additional sophisticated the scenario.
Though the AIMIM has fielded 16 candidates throughout the state, the celebration’s inner turmoil and weakened organisational construction have left it struggling to take care of its momentum. Frequent flip-flops on candidate choice have additionally raised questions on inner cohesion. Former Mumbai unit president Faiyyaz Ahmed resigned after being denied a ticket, solely to be reinstated as a candidate below stress from Telangana MLA and Owaisi’s brother Akbaruddin.
There may be additionally rising disillusionment inside the minority group concerning the AIMIM’s political technique, with some perceiving its actions as inadvertently aiding the BJP. This sentiment was mirrored in Nomani’s record that named solely Ismail in Malegaon and Farooq Shabdi in Solapur Metropolis Central as worthy of assist. There may be concern that the AIMIM’s provocative rhetoric deepens communal divides, making it troublesome for it to draw sufficient Hindu voters to win elections. In such a state of affairs, voting for the AIMIM is seen as a wasted vote.
