HYDERABAD: Despite AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi pulling in huge crowds during the months of high-voltage poll campaign prior to UP Assembly elections, the Hyderabad-based party failed to translate it into votes.
With just over 0.4 per cent of the vote share and its failure to win even a single seat of the 97 candidates it had fielded, the results have dealt a blow to the morale of the party workers back in Hyderabad, some of whom blamed the obsession of Muslims with secular parties.
Asad’s campaigns have widely covered and targeted constituencies with a sizable Muslim population of over 30 per cent from the electorate, but voters have failed to get connected with the Hyderabad-based politician. He could not convince the UP voters in spite of his promise in his typical Deccani lingo, of protecting them from the saffron affront and to address the issues engulfing the community.
Responding to the people’s verdict, Asad said that he did not expect this kind of result as the party has put a lot of effort. “The UP public has decided to give power to the BJP; I respect the decision. I thank AIMIM’s State president, workers and all those who voted for us. We put in a lot of efforts, but the results weren’t as per our expectations. We will work hard again,” he said, speaking from his residence in Shastripuram.
Outside of Telangana, the AIMIM has tried its luck for almost a decade but could only get some decent results in Maharashtra and Bihar. In recent years, it has tried its hand in Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, but could not open an account. It also plans to contest the Gujarat polls this year.
Earlier in UP, AIMIM had contested 38 seats in 2017 and from 0.2 per cent, its vote share has gone up to just over 0.4 per cent. The party earlier tried to ally with non-Congress secular parties like Samajwadi Party and later contested in an alliance with Bharat Mukti Morcha and Jan Adhikar Party. Another factor that failed to have any impact is the attack on his car in the Hapur.