The political landscape of Bihar is heating up as the state gears up for the upcoming assembly elections. The primary contest is anticipated between the INDIA bloc, comprising the Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and the ruling NDA led by Nitish Kumar. Both alliances are mobilizing their resources ahead of the elections. While Tejashwi Yadav is consistently criticizing the Nitish Kumar government, Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has made five visits to Bihar this year, focusing on attacking the BJP government while also attempting to attract Dalits, Muslims, and other backward classes. However, several parties outside of these alliances are positioning themselves, potentially disrupting the established dynamics.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), led by MP Asaduddin Owaisi, made a significant impact in the previous Bihar elections, securing five seats. Although four MLAs later joined the RJD. AIMIM is preparing to contest the elections again. Bihar AIMIM president Akhtarul Iman had proposed to the INDIA bloc to jointly contest elections against the NDA.
Speaking to the media, Akhtarul Iman stated that they had approached the constituents of the Mahagathbandhan with a proposal to contest the assembly elections under a united front against the NDA and the Bharatiya Janata Party, but they have not received any response yet. He added that the party is fully preparing for the Bihar elections and might contest the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections independently, challenging both the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Mahagathbandhan based on their merits. Furthermore, they are also working towards forming a third front to provide a better alternative to the people, and they are in discussions with several regional parties to achieve this.
This move comes after the Mahagathbandhan showed less interest in AIMIM’s proposal to jointly contest elections to remove the current NDA government led by Janata Dal (United).
Imam, often referred to as the ‘Junior Owaisi’ in Seemanchal, has been a public leader in Bihar, particularly in this region. He mentioned that the party is going to prepare for the Bihar elections. AIMIM is also working to form a third front by holding talks with regional parties. The party has a strong base in Seemanchal, where the Muslim population ranges from 30% to 70%.
He stated that they have a strong base in Seemanchal, not only among Muslims but also among Hindus, as they are fighting for the overall development of Seemanchal. Before this, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi had named Imam as the right person in Bihar to make any decision regarding contesting elections. When asked if they had any conversation with VIP party chief Mukesh Sahani, he said that he heard Sahani’s statement, but there has been no conversation with him regarding this.
He mentioned that the party is preparing to contest elections on 100 seats out of the total 243 assembly seats in the state, and they have a hold on these seats. However, the number of seats would be decided by mutual consent in the event of a third front. In the 2020 assembly elections, AIMIM won five seats out of the 20 seats it contested – all in the Seemanchal region, where the Muslim population is high. However, in 2022, four of its MLAs switched sides and joined the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), leaving it with only one MLA in the assembly.
In the last state elections, AIMIM had allied with Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party and Upendra Kushwaha’s RLSP, in which the BSP got one seat.
Political analysts believe that the more candidates AIMIM fields, the more damaging it will be for the RJD, as Muslims are considered the traditional voters of the RJD. If the party contests elections independently or forms a third front, political analysts say that the INDIA bloc is likely to suffer more losses.