‘AIMIM’s Owaisi a bigger opponent than Lalu’
BJP president Amit Shah has said that All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi is a bigger opponent than RJD’s Lalu Prasad in the upcoming Bihar assembly elections.
In an exclusive interview to Hindi daily Hindustan, Shah denied claims that Owaisi was a BJP “agent” after the JD(U) and other parties accused the AIMIM of working in the saffron party’s favour. In September, AIMIM president Owaisi announced that his party would contest the assembly elections, focussing on the state’s north-eastern Seemanchal region with a sizeable Muslim population.
Despite being a new entrant to Bihar’s electoral politics, the AIMIM could cut into the Muslim votebank of the Grand Alliance, and give an advantage to the BJPled NDA. Analysts say AIMIM could influence results in at least 21 Muslim-dominated constituencies of Kosi-Purnia divisions, besides another 15 in Bhagalpur-Munger.
Sources said the AIMIM could field candidates in nearly 30 seats in Seemanchal, which comprises Kishanganj, Araria, Katihar, Purnia and adjoining areas of Kosi region, and has a significant number of Muslim voters.
A confident Shah said the NDA will win a two-third majority and form a government in Bihar as the people wanted the state to develop at all cost. “Leaders of all our associate parties are meeting people and assuring them that the BJP-led coalition will form a government this time round,” said Shah, on a campaign trail from Patna to Katihar.
Shah also said Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar formed the alliance with Lalu and Congress only because of his greed for power.