Because the countdown to the Maharashtra Meeting elections begins, AIMIM state chief and former Aurangabad MP Imitiaz Jaleel has claimed his get together is “ready” for a solution from the Congress on an alliance proposal it despatched two months in the past. The Congress, nevertheless, denied receiving any such provide.
Jaleel stated his get together had additionally despatched a “detailed proposal” to a different Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) constituent, Sharad Pawar’s NCP, aside from to state Congress chief Nana Patole. “We’re ready to listen to from the Congress management in Delhi and anticipate them to get again to us within the subsequent few days,” he advised The Indian Categorical.
Denying that the get together had obtained any proposal from the AIMIM, Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe stated no dialogue on the difficulty has come up even in inside discussions.
Jaleel’s claims observe his declaration final month that his get together would chart its personal course if the MVA didn’t reply to its proposal by September 9. “If the alliance doesn’t work out, we’ll capitalise on the robust presence we have now within the Marathwada area,” he stated.
The AIMIM chief was additionally agency that the get together can be asking for the 5 Meeting seats of Malegaon Central, Dhule, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Solapur and Versova, for which it has even shortlisted candidates. “We is not going to insist on a number of seats, but when the alliance works out, we is not going to give away these 5 seats. We’re hopeful that the Congress will be a part of us in defeating the BJP and its allies,” he stated.
Whereas the AIMIM has received solely a few seats since its foray into Maharashtra in 2014, its presence has dented the Congress’s prospects in a number of others. In 2019, for instance, whereas the AIMIM contested 44 seats and received solely Malegaon Central and Dhule Metropolis, it’s believed to have minimize into the Congress-NCP’s votes in 12 constituencies. Amongst these seats, Chandivali and Nagpur Central had been received by the united Shiv Sena and BJP alliance by slender margins of 409 and 4,008 votes respectively, at the same time as AIMIM candidates polled 1,167 and eight,565 votes.
In 2014 too, the AIMIM received two – Aurangabad Central and Byculla – of the 24 seats it contested, however is believed to have given the Congress and undivided NCP a run for his or her cash in a minimum of 9 different seats. “We gave a tricky battle to all events together with the Congress in 9 seats,” an AIMIM supply stated.
Nonetheless, even AIMIM leaders admit the dangerous blood between the 2 events, particularly for the reason that bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014. Whereas the Asaduddin Owaisi-led outfit had prolonged outdoors help to successive Congress governments in undivided Andhra Pradesh, after Telangana was carved out, it moved its sympathies to the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (then Telangana Rashtra Samithi).
“From 2014 to 2024, the AIMIM developed an antagonistic relationship with the Congress in Telangana, and the mistrust grew after it forayed into different states,” a Congress insider from Telangana stated.
The Congress retains accusing the AIMIM of being a B-team of the BJP, and serving to the latter by polarising voters. Owaisi has countered by saying the AIMIM is simply following its political ambitions and needed to have “mass attraction” relatively than being only a “Muslim get together”.
