HYDERABAD: The message is loud and clear: AIMIM is not just a ‘Hyderabad’ party, but also quite capable of creating a dent in the national political arena. The Asaduddin Owaisi-led party on Tuesday exceeded expectations and was well on its way to winning five seats in the Bihar Assembly elections.Even as counting was on, the AIMIM announced that it has won from Amour, Kochadhamam, Jokihat, Baisi, Bahadurunj Assembly constituencies. The Hyderabad-based party may well play a bigger role in the polls with NDA and the Mahagatbandhan fighting a neck-and-neck race for the top prize.
As on 9 pm on Tuesday evening, AIMIM Bihar president Aktharul Iman was leading from the Amour constituency with 54.7 per cent of the total vote, poised to defeat six-time Congress MLA Abdul Jalil Mastan. Iman had earlier contested in the General elections from the Kishangunj seat and lost narrowly.
In Kochadhamam, AIMIM’s Muhammed Izhar Asfi too had a comfortable lead with 50.11 per cent of votes, leaving Mujahid Alam of Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal United far behind in the race. In Jokihat, where the counting had finished as on Tuesday evening, AIMIM’s candidate Shahnawaz won by 8,000 votes with RJD’s Sarfaraz Alam second.
Similarly, AIMIM’s Syed Ruknuddin Ahmad won from the Baisi constituency and Mohammad Anzar Nayeemi from Bahadur constituency had a comfortable lead against his opponents. The party only lost from the Kishangunj seat, where its incumbent Qamrul Hoda lost to INC’s Ijaharul Husain. In 2019, Hoda won from the Kishangunj seat in a byelection.
“It’s a great moment for us as the people of Bihar have honoured us with so many votes. Our leaders and workers have put a lot of efforts into strengthening our party in Bihar. We will try our best to fulfil the promises made by us,” Asaduddin Owaisi said while addressing a press conference. When asked about whether he will support the Mahagatbandhan if such a situation arose in the coming days, Owaisi was evasive.
While responding to a question, Owaisi made it clear that he will contest in West Bengal elections in the future. “This election result is a message for everyone who thinks that AIMIM should not contest in elections. Are we NGOs that we will only hold seminars and present papers? We are a political party and we will contest in all elections.”
Will MIM determine Bihar govt?
The Hyderabad-based MIM may well play a bigger role in the Bihar polls with the NDA and the Mahagatbandhan fighting a neck-and-neck race for the top prize