After Owaisi, Mamata Fumes Over Jharkhand Disom Party’s ‘Efforts’ to Boost Tribal Support for BJP in Bengal.

Source – news18.com

Kolkata: A day after slamming Asaduddin Owaisi’s party for dividing the Muslim votes in Bengal, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has now hit out at North Malda administration for failing to control a series of protests taken out by the Jharkhand’s Disom Party (JDP).

During a recent administrative meeting, a visibly angry Mamata came down heavily on the Malda Superintendent of Police Alok Rajoria for failing to control the rallies by the BJP backed Jharkhand’s Disom Party in Malda North.

“You have to be rough and tough now. How come Jharkhand’s Disom Party from Jharkhand is creating a law and order problem in Bengal. I don’t want to hear it again. Please do your job…. a police’s job is to maintain good governance and if they are unable to do this then they can leave and concentrate on theatre and singing,” Mamata said.

But, Mamata’s frustration aren’t with a cause. In the recent Lok Sabha elections, TMC had failed to open its account in Malda North and Malda South as the tribal votes had effectively coalesced towards the BJP. Adding to this, the challenge that Owaisi’s AIMIM will pose as it is attempting to win the significant Muslim vote.

In Malda North, BJP’s Khagen Murmu defeated sitting MP Mausam Noor, a former Congress MP who had fought on a TMC ticket, while in Malda South Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury of the Congress won the seat by defeating BJP’s Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhury. TMC’s Md Moazzem Hossain stood third with 27.47% vote share.

Malda North shared a border with Jharkhand which played to Khagen Murmu’s advantage as he managed to consolidate the tribal vote with Jharkhand Disom Party’s support.

The last few months have seen a series of protests by Jharkhand’s Disom Party in North Malda over various demands, which TMC claims is a mere political strategy.

“If they have any demands, they should protest in Jharkhand. What does the West Bengal government have to do with their protest? They have a BJP government in Jharkhand but they are raising their demands in Bengal,” a TMC MLA in North Malda said.

The Jharkhand Disom Party is very active in North Malda’s Habibpur (among the assembly constituencies in the Adina area). In these two areas, the tribal vote share is nearly 80 per cent (the tribal vote share in North Malda is close to nearly 11.5 per cent), which helped BJP’s Khagen Murmu defeat a strong leader like Mausam Noor.

Jharkhand Disom Party, which mainly works for the rights of the tribals, not only helped Murmu win the Lok Sabha seat but also helped him to increase his vote share by 37.61 per cent (+22.52 per cent).

“In the Jangalamahal area too the BJP managed to strong inroads. She (Mamata) is basically worried that the tribal votes are shifting towards the BJP. Her aggression against the Jharkhand Disom Party during the administrative meeting was logical because they had failed to open an account in Malda,” political expert Mohit Ray said.

Jharkhand Disom Party was founded in 2002 by MP Salkhan Murmu. In August 2014, Salkhan Murmu merged his Jharkhand Disom Party with the BJP in the presence of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda.

Riding high on wins in recent polls, AIMIM seeks to expand in Bihar, Jharkhand.

Source – livemint.com

Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has set its sights on the Bihar and Jharkhand assembly elections due next year, after winning the Kishanganj assembly seat in Bihar in the recent by-election.

The Hyderabad-based party lost Maharashtra’s Byculla and Aurangabad Central seats in the state assembly election partly because of its failure to sew a coalition with Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi. However, it won two new seats —Malegaon and Dhule City.

“Right now, we are focussed on building our organizational strength,” Adil Hassan, leader of AIMIM’s youth wing in Bihar, said over the phone. “We had 1.5 lakh members and that may go up to 5 lakh after the Kishanganj bypoll win this month, and our aim is to have 15 lakh members across Bihar by end of December. The voters in Seemanchal and other areas now have faith in Barrister (Owaisi), who has raised various issues of ours in the Parliament. Minority areas in Bihar are the most deprived for decades.”

In Maharashtra, the AIMIM contested 44 assembly seats and managed to win two, getting about 740,000 votes across the state. It was an increase from the 500,000 votes in the 2014 polls, where it contested 24 seats.

In Bihar’s Kishanganj, AIMIM’s Qamrul Hoda won with a margin of more than 10,000 votes over the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Sweety Singh. More interestingly, the Congress lost its deposit, getting just 25,825 votes, indicating a shift among Muslim voters. The seat falls under Seemanchal, one of the most backward areas in the state. If AIMIM manages to make deeper inroads, it might change the state’s political landscape, especially for the Congress, which gets a chunk of votes from Muslim voters.

Hassan did not say how many seats the AIMIM plans to contest in the Bihar state polls next year.

Another AIMIM leader based in Hyderabad, who did not want to be named, said that in the 2015 elections, the party had contested just six of the 24 seats in Seemanchal, and plans to contest more than six seats in the 2020 state polls, adding that a decision will be taken on the final tally later for both Bihar and Jharkhand. “We will be contesting in Jharkhand for the first time, and will also put up tribal candidates,” he added.

The AIMIM would have won a few more votes had its alliance with VBA (an alliance of Ambedkar’s Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh and other caste/community organizations) gone through. The VBA, which managed to get significant deposits in some of the 250-plus seats it contested like Aurangabad Central, however, did not win any seats.

The alliance between the VBA and the AIMIM broke in September, just a month before the Maharashtra assembly elections, as the former offered the AIMIM just eight out of the 288 seats. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the AIMIM had wrested the Aurangabad seat from the Shiv Sena, when the alliance between AIMIM and VBA was still intact. AIMIM’s Maharashtra head Imtiyaz Jaleel won the seat, and is the party’s only other parliamentarian apart from Owaisi.

“The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress would have won some more seats had the VBA and AIMIM not been in the fray. This very much goes much in line with what Owaisi said during the results of the 2019 general elections, that the myth of the Muslim vote bank has been broken. He said that if there is any vote bank, it is the Hindu vote bank (with the BJP),” said political analyst Palwai Raghavendra Reddy.

Reddy added that the results of the Maharashtra state polls and the Bihar bye-poll will only help Owaisi and the AIMIM expand across the country. “He will go ahead with his plans, and it is to be seen how the opposition and Congress will deal with that situation,” he opined.

After success in Maharashtra polls and Bihar bypoll, AIMIM sets sight on Bihar, Jharkhand.

Source – livemint.com

HYDERABAD : After winning two new seats in the just concluded Maharashtra assembly elections and the Kishanganj assembly segment in the Bihar by-elections, the Hyderabad-based All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has now set its sight on the upcoming Bihar and Jharkhand state polls which will be held next year.

AIMIM, led by member of parliament from the Hyderabad seat Asaduddin Owaisi, is all set to contest a chunk of the seats in both states, which might change the political landscape, especially for the Congress (which relies on minority or Muslim votes). In Maharashtra, the AIMIM contested 44 assembly seats and managed to win the Malegaon and Dhule City seats, getting about 7.4 lakh votes. It was an increase from the 5 lakh votes in the 2014 pols, where it contested 24 seats.

In the Kishanganj bypoll in Bihar, the AIMIM’s Qamrul Hoda won the seat with a margin of over 10,000 votes the BJP’s Sweety Singh. More interestingly, the Congress lost its deposit, getting just 25,825 votes, indicating a shift among Muslims voters. The seat falls under the Seemanchal region, which is one of the most backward areas In Bihar.

“Right now we are focussed on building our organizational strength. We had 1.5 lakh members and that may not go up to five lakh, and our aim is to have 15 lakh members across Bihar till December. The voters in Seemanchal and other areas now have faith in Barrister (Owaisi), who has raised various issues of ours in the parliament. Minority areas in Bihar are the most deprived from decades,” said Adil Hassan, leader of AIMIM’s youth wing in Bihar.

Hassan did not say how many seats the AIMIM plans to contest in the Bihar state polls next year. Another AIMIM leader, who did not want to be quoted, said that in the 2015 elections, the party had contested in just six seats of the 24 in the Seemanchal region, and that a decision will be taken on the final tally later for both Bihar and Jharkhand. “We will be contesting in Bihar for the first time, and will also put up tribal candidates,” he added.

While the AIMIM lost both the Byculla and Aurangabad Central assembly seats (which it won in 2014), the party would have won a few more had its alliance with the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (an alliance of Ambedkar’s Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh and other caste/community organizations) gone through. The VBA, which managed to get significant deposits in some the 250-plus seats it contested (like Aurangabad Central), however, did not win any seats.

“The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress would have won some more seats had the VBA and AIMIM not been in the fray. This very much goes much in line with what Owaisi said during the results of the 2019 general elections, that the myth of the Muslim vote bank has been broken. He said that if there is any vote bank, it is the Hindu vote bank (with the BJP),” said political analyst Palwai Raghavendra Reddy.

Reddy added that the results of the Maharashtra state polls and the Bihar bye-poll will only help Owaisi and the AIMIM in expanding across the country. “He will go ahead with his plans, and it is to be seen how the opposition and Congress will deal with that situation,” he opined.

Regional parties eye political pie in State polls.

Source – dailypioneer.com

Despite the NaMo wave in the country and the State, where the BJP repeated its 2014 feat of victory on 12 out of 14 Lok Sabh seats in 2019 General Elections, several regional and smaller political parties are enthusiastically eyeing to make their political ground in Jharkhand. So much so that a number of parties have already announced the number of seats, on which they will field their candidates.

While the Nitish Kumar led Janta Dal United has decided to go alone in State Assembly polls, terming its alliance with the National Democratic Alliance just for Lok Sabha polls, it has also made announcement of tentative candidates for about 14 seats in the State.

 The party that had two legislators in the third Assembly of the State, is eyeing its traditional voters alongwith the Kurmi voters, who play a significant role in Jharkhand politics.

The AAP Jharkhand unit has also got a shot in the arm after former Jharkhand cadre IPS officer and ex State in-charge of Congress Dr Ajoy Kumar joined the party recently. The party is also ready to contest elections on more than 40 seats and organising workers conferences across various Assembly segments.

“Our assessment of applications on 40-42 seats across the State is going on. It’s a process through which we finalise whether to contest elections on a particular seat or not. It mainly depends on the number of active workers in the area and also the background of applicants is checked before a name is finalised.

We have been organising workers conferences in Ranchi, Dhanbad, Jamshedpur and other prominent places of the State to boost the morale of workers,” said Rajesh Kumar, Spokesperson AAP, Jharkhand.Similarly, The Nationalist Congress Party, State unit has announced to contest elections on 30 seats in Jharkhand. Former Minister and State president of NCP Kamlesh Kumar Singh said that they were in constant touch with other opposition parties to get into an alliance.

 If there is an alliance, the NCM will contest on 10 seats. However, if the NCP is not in any alliance it will contest polls on 30 seats, he added.

The All India Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), which has won two Assembly seats in Maharashtra and one seat in Bihar in the recent elections, is also gearing up to field its candidates in the coming elections. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, who had recently organised a rally in the Capital city has been getting scores of letters and calls for candidature in the polls.

The AIMIM has recently announced that it will contest the State elections on 50 seats if there is no alliance with likeminded parties. The party has claimed that it will win at least 12 seats this time.

AIMIM Victory in Bihar Will Pave Way for Dalit-Muslim Unity, Says Jitan Ram Manjhi.

Source – news18.com

Patna: HAM president Jitan Ram Manjhi on Saturday hailed the victory of Asaduddin Owaisis AIMIM in Kishanganj assembly by-poll saying the maiden success of the Hyderabad MPs party in Bihar will pave the way for “dalit-muslim unity” across the country.

Manjhi, who is also a former chief minister, condemned the adverse remarks against Owaisi by some people and asserted that communalism and fake nationalism posed a greater threat to the nation.

We are a democracy in which every party can contest elections from anywhere. I congratulate Asaduddin Owaisi and his party for entering the fray in Kishanganj and emerging victorious, Manjhi said in a statement here.

I condemn the adverse remarks made by some people against Owaisi. The nation faces a bigger threat from communalism and fake nationalism than from the victory of AIMIM in Kishanganj, said Manjhi, a dalit leader, in a veiled criticism of the BJP and its firebrand leader Giriraj Singh.

Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) is a constituent of the five-party Grand Alliance led by RJD. One of the primary reasons why I welcome AIMIMs victory in Kishanganj is that in the Seemanchal region of Bihar, dalits and muslims face the threat of being dubbed as outsiders and terrorists in the name of implementation of NRC.

Results of the by-election will pave the way for nation-wide dalit-muslim unity, he added.

Formerly with the JD(U), Manjhi had quit it and floated HAM in 2015 in protest against having been made to step down as chief minister to make way for the return of his political mentor Nitish Kumar.

He had started off as a constituent of the NDA wherein he was welcomed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who called Manjhis forced resignation an insult to the ‘Mahadalit’ class.

He walked out of the BJP-led coalition in less than a year after Kumars return to the same in July, 2017. However, Manjhi has been sore with the RJD ever since the Grand Alliance was drubbed in the general elections this year.

Out of five assembly seats where by-polls were held earlier this week, the RJD had fielded its candidates in all except Kishanganj a seat which was held by the Congress. This time Congress ended up a distant third and forfeited its deposit.

The RJD won two seats and lost one Nathnagar by a margin of votes that was less than the tally of the HAM candidate whom Manjhi had fielded as a token of protest against Tejashwi Yadav, the son of Lalu Prasad.

Bypolls: BJP, allies come first, AIMIM gains toehold in Bihar.

Source – indiatoday.in

The BJP and its allies on Thursday won 26 of the 51 assembly seats at stake in the bypolls across 18 states and the Congress emerged victorious in 12 constituencies while Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM tasted its maiden electoral success in Bihar.

In bye-elections to two Lok Sabha seats, Prince Raj of the Lok Jan Shakti Party won in Samastipur (SC) in Bihar defeating Ashok Kumar of the Congress, while Shriniwas Dadasaheb Patil of the NCP emerged victorious in Maharashtra’s Satara constituency over Udyanraje Pratapsinhmaharaj Bhonsle of the BJP.

The Samajwadi Party turned out to be a major gainer in Uttar Pradesh, wresting a seat each from the ruling BJP and the BSP, while the NDA got eight, one less than it held.

The SP wrested Zaidpur seat from the BJP and Jalalpur seat from the BSP, while retaining Rampur. The BJP won seven seats and its ally Apna Dal (S) bagged one.

The BJP, which yielded Zaidpur to the SP, retained Balha, Gangoh, Manikpur, Ghosi, Iglas, Lucknow Cantt and Govindnagar, while Apna Dal (S) retained Pratapgarh.

Setback for JDU

The ruling JD(U) suffered a setback in Bihar managing to win only one of the four seats it contested. Bypolls were held in five seats of which RJD won two and AIMIM one. The remaining seat was won by an Independent.

The results gave the once mighty RJD a reason to smile, while Hyderabad MP Owaisi’s AIMIM gained a toehold in the state clinching Kishanganj, a Muslim dominated constituency. BJP rebel candidate Karnjeet Singh won the Dharaunda seat as an Independent.

The JD(U) could win only Nathnagar where its candidate Laxmi Kant Mandal beat Rabia Khatun of the RJD by little over 5,000 votes.

Of the five seats where by-polls were held, four were held by BJP ally the JD(U) and one by the Congress.

Among the states ruled by the BJP and its allies, bypolls were held for the maximum 11 seats in Uttar Pradesh, followed by six in Gujarat, five in Bihar, four in Assam and two each in Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Other states where bypolls were held

The other states where bypolls were held are Punjab (4 seats), Kerala (5 seats), Sikkim (3 seats), Rajasthan (2 seats) and one seat each in Arunachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Puducherry, Meghalaya and Telangana.

The BJP and its allies held nearly 30 of these assembly seats, while the Congress had won 12 and the rest were with regional parties.

In a morale booster after the Lok Sabha poll drubbing months ago, the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu wrested two seats from arch-rival DMK and its ally Congress. AIADMK won by impressive margins in Vikravandi and Nanguneri constituencies.

In Kerala, the Congress-led UDF tasted defeat at the hands of the ruling LDF headed by the CPI-M in its strongholds of Vattiyoorkavu and Konni, while it retained two seats and won from the Marxist bastion of Aroor.

Thiruvananthapuram Mayor V K Prasanth won from Vattiyoorkavu by a margin of over 14,465 votes against his nearest Congress rival K Mohankumar.

Another UDF bastion, Konni, went to the LDF kitty with its candidate K U Jenish Kumar winning by 9,953 votes defeating P Mohanraj (Cong).

However, the LDF tasted defeat at Aroor, a CPI(M) stronghold where UDF’s Shanimol Usman, who had unsuccessfully contested the April Lok Sabha poll from Alappuzha, won with a margin of 2079 votes.

Usman defeated her nearest rival Manu C Pulickal of the LDF by a margin of 2,079 votes.

The UDF won the Manjeshwaram seat where M C Kamaruddin (IUML) won by a margin of 7,923 votes against BJP’s Raveesh Thanthri Kuntar.

It retained the Ernakulam seat as its candidate T J Vinod, deputy Mayor of Kochi corporation, defeated his nearest rival advocate Manu Roy, the LDF-Independent candidate by over 3,750 votes.

The defeat at Vatiyoorkavu and Konni comes as a rude shock for the UDF which had won 19 of the 20 Lok Sabha seats in the Lok Sabha polls in May.

Following the bypoll outcome, the LDF’s strength has now gone up to 93, while that of UDF 45 in the 140-member house.

In Madhya Pradesh, the Congress wrested back its traditional Jhabua assembly seat from the BJP. Congress candidate and former Union minister Kantilal Bhuria won by a margin of over 27,804 votes, defeating BJP’s Bhanu Bhuria.

The Congress lost the seat to BJP in last year’s assembly polls with GS Damor defeating Kantilal Bhuria’s son Vikrant Bhuria by 10,437 votes. However, the BJP fielded Damor in the general elections from the Ratlam-Jhabua seat, which he won by defeating Kantilal Bhuria.

The Congress now has 115 members, one short of simple majority in the 230-member house. It enjoys the support of 4 Independents, two BSP MLAs and one SP MLA.

The ruling Congress in Rajasthan increased its tally in the state assembly by winning the bypoll to Mandawa seat while MP Hanuman Beniwal’s Rashtriya Loktantrik Party retained the Khinwsar seat.

Congress’s Rita Chaudhary won from Mandawa by a margin of 33,704 votes while RLP candidate Narayan Beniwal won Khinwsar by 4,630 votes.

Now the Congress tally in the 200-member assembly has increased to 107, including six those who had defected to the party from the BSP last month. The BJP has 72 MLAs. The RLP now has three MLAs.

The ruling Congress consolidated its position in Punjab winning three assembly segments while opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) won one seat, where bypolls were held.

Raminder Awla defeated SAD nominee Raj Singh Dibipura by 16,633 votes from Jalalabad, considered an Akali bastion.

Earlier, the segment was represented by Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, who was elected to the Lok Sabha in May.

In Phagwara, which fell vacant after sitting BJP MLA Som Parkash was elected to the Lok Sabha, Congress candidate and former IAS officer Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal defeated BJP nominee Rajesh Bagha by a margin of 26,116 votes.

Congress’s Indu Bala won from Mukerian by defeating BJP’s Jangi Lal Mahajan by a margin of 3,440 votes.

But the ruling party suffered a setback as SAD’s Manpreet Singh Ayali defeated its nominee Sandeep Singh Sandhu by a margin of 14,672 votes in Dakha.

TRS defeats Congress in Telangana’s Huzurnagar

The ruling TRS in Telangana won the Huzurnagar seat with its nominee S Saidi Reddy defeating Congress rival N Padmavati Reddy.

The BJP in Assam won three seats with its candidates Bijoy Malakar (Ratabari), Rajen Borthakur (Rangapara) and Nabanita Handique (Sonari) defeating their respective Congress opponents. All India United Democratic Front’s Rafiqul Islam prevailed over Congress’s Shamsul Hoque in Jania.

In Himachal Pradesh, the ruling BJP retained both the Dharamshala and Pachhad seats. In Pachhad, Reena Kashyap defeated her nearest rival, former minister Gangu Ram Musafir of the Congress, by a margin of 2,742 votes.

Vishal Nehria defeated Independent Rakesh Kumar by a margin of 6,758 votes in Dharamshala.

In Puducherry, the ruling Congress retained the Kamaraj Nagar Assembly seat with its nominee A John Kumar defeating his nearest AINRC rival S Bhuvaneswarane by a margin of 7,170 votes.

With this win, the Congress’s strength in the assembly has been restored to 15 in which the Congress enjoys the support of the DMK, its alliance partner, from outside.

The bypoll was necessitated after the incumbent legislator V Vaithilingam (Congress) quit following his election to the Lok Sabha from the lone seat here in April.

The ruling Congress won the bypoll from the Naxal-affected Chitrakot constituency, reserved for Scheduled Tribes, in Chhattisgarh with Rajman Benzam defeating Lachhuram Kashyap of the BJP by a margin of 17,862 votes.

BJD candidate Rita Sahu won the Bijepur Assembly seat in Odisha defeating Sanat Gartia of the BJP by 97,990 votes, which is the highest-ever margin in the history of the state’s assembly polls.

Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang aka PS Golay won the bypoll to the Poklok Kamrang Assembly seat by 8,953 votes. The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) founder defeated his nearest rival Moses Rai of the Sikkim Democratic Front.

The SKM’s alliance partner BJP tasted its first electoral victory in the northeastern state winning the Martam Rumtek and Gangtok seats.

Sonam TSH Venchungpa won from Martam Rumtek seat, defeating his nearest rival Nuk Tshering Bhutia of the SDF by 6,150 votes while Yong Tshering Lepcha beat Delay Namgyal Barfungpa of the Sikkim National People’s Party by 1,010 votes in Gangtok.

Former Indian football team captain Bhaichung Bhutia, who contested from Gangtok seat on a Hamro Sikkim Party ticket, managed to bag only 579 votes.

The ruling SKM’s tally in the 32-member House has now gone up to 19 while the BJP’s strength in the House is 12. Ten SDF legislators had earlier switched to the BJP.

United Democratic Party candidate Balajied Kupar Synrem won the bypoll to Shella constituency in Meghalaya by over 6,000 votes. The bye-election was necessitated due to the death of UDP president Donkupar Roy, who had represented the seat for a record seven times, earlier this year. Synrem is Donkupar Roy’s son.

In Arunachal Pradesh, Independent candidate Chakat Aboh, wife of National People’s Party (NPP) leader Tirong Aboh who was shot dead in May, emerged victorious defeating another independent nominee Azet Homtok by 1,887 votes.

BJP and the Congress shared the spoils in Gujarat

The ruling BJP and the Congress shared the spoils in Gujarat winning three seats each. OBC leader Alpesh Thakor, who switched sides from the Congress to the BJP, lost from Radhanpur by a margin of 3,807 votes to Congress’s Raghubhai Desai.

Congress candidate Jashu Patel defeated BJP’s Dhavalsinh Zala in Bayad, while in Tharad, Congress nominee Gulabsinh Rajput prevailed over BJP’s Jivraj Patel.

In Kheralu seat, BJP’s Ajmalji Thakor beat Congress’s Babuji Thakor.

In Lunawada, BJP’s Jignesh Sevak beat Congress’s Gulabsinh Chauhan while in Amraiwadi, Congress’s Dharmendra Patel lost to BJP’s Jagdish Patel.

Asaduddin Owaisi announces his party AIMIM will contest assembly polls in Jharkhand

Source: hindustantimes.com

All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) party headed by parliamentarian Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday announced to contest the upcoming assembly elections in Jharkhand even as holding its maiden public rally in state capital Ranchi.

Though the party didn’t announce its exact plan as to whether it would contest on all seats or foment an alliance with other parties but its leaders expressed hope that the party would win 10-12 seats in Jharkhand polls.

“If a non-BJP government is formed after the elections, then AIMIM will be one of the four legs of the chief minister’s chair,” they said.

Addressing a public gathering amid downpours at Bariatu, party’s chief Owaisi said, “AIMIM is a real political alternative for the oppressed people of Jharkhand. We are no more going to beg for crumbs. We have to fight for justice. Erase the terror of Modi-RSS from your heart.”

He added, “AIMIM will field its candidates in the upcoming Jharkhand polls. Names of candidates will be announced very soon. The next Jharkhand assembly will also have AIMIM legislators who will espouse the cause of Muslims, Tribal, Christians, poor and downtrodden.”

Appealing the party works to start preparing for the polls, Owaisi slammed the ruling BJP and opposition parties including JMM, Congress and others for using poor and downtrodden as vote bank.

He said, “Congress and JMM never cared for Muslims, Tribal, Christians and oppressed people. They use them as vote bank only.”

Adiwasi Sarna Samiti President Ajay Tirkey, party’s Jharkhand president Hubban Mallick and many Muslim leaders across the state and other states also attended the public rally.

Owaisi, who met the family members of alleged mob lynching victim Tabrez Ansari in Ranchi, slammed the ruling BJP government for its utter failure in controlling these crimes.

He said, “18 women had been lynched in Jharkhand for practising witchcraft. I want to ask the ruling BJP what is going on in this state in its rule. Is this a respect towards woman. The government completely failed in curbing this social evil.”

Highlighting the incidents of mob lynching in Jharkhand, Owaisi said, “The state has turned into a factory of mob lynching. But I want to assure sisters Anita Minz, Shahista Parveen and many others, who lost their husbands in mob lynching violence, that our party is standing firm with you to help you out and raise your concern.”

Hyderabad MP Owaisi also raised concern over delinking of internet and cell phone services in the state of Jammu Kashmir after the union government scrapped Article 370 to strip the state of its special status.

He said, “Kashmir is an integral part of India and will remain like that. However, the government should restore internet and cell phone services to people of Kashmir as it says that the situation in the state is normal.”

Owaisi-led AIMIM to contest on all seats in 2020 Bihar assembly polls

Source: hindustantimes.com

The Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has decided to expand its base in Bihar. The party is so far confined to Seemanchal region.

“To help Bihar come out of the sad state of affairs, the party following instructions from Asaduddin Owaisi has decided to field candidates in constituencies going for by-polls and contest on all seats for 2020 assembly elections. The party believes that AIMIM can provide a new political equation, which the state needs,” said Akhtarul Imaan, party’s Bihar unit president.

The party had contested on six seats – Kocha Daman, Kishanganj, Raniganj, Baisi, Amour and Balrampur – in the Bihar assembly elections in 2015, mostly in Seemanchal region, but met with no success. Imaan had contested from Kocha Daman constituency. The Seemanchal region accounts for 24 constituencies. But the party decided to field only six candidates.

Imaan is a former member of Bihar assembly. He was earlier with the Janata Dal-United and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). He had also unsuccessfully contested from Kishananj constituency in the last Lok Sabha polls. The seat was won by Congress and AIMIM came third with 26.58% of total votes polled.

Owaisi during his last visit to Seemanchal region had said that his party would be making a beginning in Bihar. The Hyderabad lawmaker said his party was aware of its limitations and hence decided to contest a limited number of seats.

“It is clear that even after 72 years of independence, minorities, Dalits and backwards of Bihar have not got legitimate rights. It is a matter of shame that Bihar is standing along with lower rank states in the field of education, health, employment and development,” said Imaan.

The Owasisi-led party had to face criticism that it was contesting six seats in Seemanchal just to divide the secular votes.