Hyderabad: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is trying its level best to repeat its Bihar success in the upcoming West Bengal polls in 2021.
Recently, the party chief Asaduddin Owaisi conducted a meeting on Saturday with AIMIM West Bengal party functionaries for taking their detailed views with regards to polls and the political situation in the state.
“Held a very fruitful meeting today with AIMIM West Bengal party functionaries. I have taken their detailed views with regards to upcoming polls and the political situation in the state. Thankful to all of them for participating in the meeting,” Owaisi stated.
Even since the AIMIM won five seats in the recently concluded Bihar polls, the party is planning to enter into other states.
AIMIM’s focus
In West Bengal where the Muslim population is around 27 percent, the party had arranged over 25 rallies last year. It also has units in all most all districts of the State.
The party is primarily focusing on Dinajpur, Malda, Howrah, Cooch Bihar, Birbhum, Asansol, Nadia and Kolkata.
Although, AIMIM is planning to contest on over 100 seats in the Assembly elections, the party is aware of the fact that Muslim vote bank is present in more than 65 seats.
The biggest hurdle for the party is language. The party has strong hold in Urdu speaking Muslims whereas, Bengali speaking Muslims still consider Mamata as their leader.
TMC’s reaction over AIMIM’s entry
Meanwhile, reacting on the probable entry of Asaduddin Owaisi’s party in West Bengal polls, senior TMC leader and former MP Vivek Gupta said Muslims trust Mamata Banerjee. He also reminded the result of 2019 election when AIMIM candidates have contested.
Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday slammed the BJP for trying to import AIMIM in Bengal to sharpen the communal polarisation and divide the Hindu-Muslim votes among themselves.
“To divide the Muslim votes, the BJP is spending crores of rupees to bring in a party from Hyderabad. The plan is that BJP will eat into Hindu votes, and this Hyderabad party will eat into Muslim votes.
“In recent Bihar elections, they did the same thing. This party is a B-team of the BJP,” Banerjee said while addressing a rally.
A deciding factor in nearly 100-110 seats in the state is the 30 per cent Muslim population.
A section of the TMC leadership is apprehensive that with the entry of AIMIM, equations are likely to alter.
AIMIM’s performance in Bihar
The AIMIM won five seats in the recently concluded Bihar polls. The party had fielded 20 candidates in the elections to the 243-seat assembly in the state.
The party won seats from Amour, Kochadamam, Jokihat, Baisi and Bahadurgunj Assembly constituencies.
Party’s performance in Maharashtra
In the Maharashtra assembly elections held in 2014 and 2019, AIMIM had fielded candidates for 24 and 44 seats respectively. However, it managed to win only two seats in both the elections.
Although, it won two seats only, its vote share in seven seats increased enormously.
BJP in West Bengal
BJP that has improved its seat share from four to 48 in the recently held GHMC polls is gearing up for the West Bengal elections.
The war of words between the clashing political rivals intensified ahead of the forthcoming elections. Many senior BJP leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, have slammed the Mamata Banerje-led state administration for failing to provide security to Nadda and called the attack ‘sponsored violence’. Shah said that the state has “descended into an era of tyranny and anarchy” under the Trinamool Congress rule.