Hyderabad: The All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi ruled out any possible alliance with the Janata Dal (Secular) for the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections scheduled to be held next year.
Speaking to reporters here on Tuesday at Vijayapura (Bijapur) at an election campaign, Owaisi said that last time at the request of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) supremo K Chandrashekar Rao the AIMIM did not contest the elections and campaigned for the Janata Dal (S). “This time it won’t happen like that,” Owaisi said.
The AIMIM is contesting elections in four wards in the upcoming Bijapur Municipal Corporation which will be held on October 28. “I have come here to campaign for our candidates,” said the AIMIM chief.
The AIMIM’s entry into Karnataka will have limited impact, at best. However, wherever it makes a difference, it will affect either the Congress of Janata Dal(S).
According to an article by The Hindu, Karnataka has a sizable number of Muslim voters in the Hubbali-Dharwad areas.
In last year’s municipality elections, the AIMIM had contested in 12 wards, finishing second and third in seven wards and securing a total of 1,000 votes. Moreover, AIMIM has also helped Independent wins.
This very reason is why Congress and the Janata Dal (S) believe AIMIM’s participation can affect their voter balance adversely.
