PATNA: Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM, often criticised by the Congress and RJD as the ‘B-team’ of the BJP, is now making active efforts to join hands with the INDIA bloc for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections, scheduled for October-November this year.AIMIM’s Bihar chief and MLA Akhtarul Iman told reporters on Tuesday that his party had reached out to RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav through some MLAs with a proposal to contest the elections together, especially in the Muslim-dominated Seemanchal region.He said AIMIM is firmly against the BJP and now it’s up to Tejashwi to respond to the alliance proposal. “Our MLAs told me that the offer has not been rejected so far,” Iman said.During his last visit to Bihar, Owaisi had accused the RJD of engineering defections in his party but expressed confidence that AIMIM would win at least 24 seats in the upcoming election. The party plans to contest 50 seats across the state.Akhtarul Iman said AIMIM is keen to fight the polls in alliance with RJD and Congress but warned that if talks fail, the blame for any vote split should not fall on his party. “No single party can defeat communal forces. A united fight against BJP is needed,” he added.In the 2020 assembly polls, AIMIM surprised many by winning five seats in Seemanchal. However, four of its MLAs later defected to the RJD. Back then, AIMIM had contested as part of the Grand Democratic Secular Front alongside Upendra Kushwaha’s RLSP and Mayawati’s BSP. While AIMIM won five seats, the BSP bagged one, whose MLA, Zama Khan, later joined JD(U) and became a minister.Sources in RJD say that AIMIM’s request to join the INDIA bloc has met with stiff opposition from the Left parties. However, both RJD and Congress are in favour of including AIMIM, given its influence in Seemanchal.While the RJD-Congress is said to have offered the AIMIM 8–10 seats, the Hyderabad-based party is pushing for 24 seats in the region, which includes Kishanganj, Araria, Katihar, and Purnea.
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