Maharashtra: Can Owaisi’s AIMIM Create Space for a Muslim Voice?

“Congress isn’t putting up a fight against BJP. Minorities need an alternative,” said All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi, in a conversation with The Quint.The AIMIM is contesting 44 seats in Maharashtra but the battle is a much bigger one for Owaisi – it is part of his effort to create a space for a Muslim voice in India’s politics.This narrative is evident in a popular campaign video released by AIMIM, titled “Bohat Hui Ji Huzuri” (‘Enough of Being Yes Men’)“A Muslim candidate winning isn’t enough. You should elect candidates who fight for the rights of minorities,” the video said.For a party with just two MLAs and one MP in Maharashtra, the AIMIM has had to face a lot of attacks from rival parties.Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray called AIMIM ‘green snakes’ during his rally in Aurangabad recently and said that the green colour should be ‘purged out.’To this, Owaisi replied, “If Sena is so allergic to the green colour, why is Aditya Thackeray protesting for the Aarey forest. Isn’t that also green?”BJP-Sena To Win Maharashtra Despite Anti-Incumbency: CVoter SurveyThe Congress and NCP, meanwhile, accuse the AIMIM of being “BJP agents”.“How are we BJP agents? For the past 20 years, (Chandrakhant) Khaire of the Shiv Sena had been winning the Aurangabad (Lok Sabha) seat. The Congress or NCP couldn’t defeat him. We defeated him this time,” Owaisi told The Quint.The victory of AIMIM’s Imtiyaz Jaleel from Aurangabad in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections provided a boost to the party’s plans in Maharashtra. Jaleel also happens to be the head of the party’s Maharashtra unit.The AIMIM has tried a number of different strategies to carve out a space in Maharashtra and improve its tally from the two seats it had won last time.Owaisi Does Patang Dance at a Rally in Reference to Party’s SymbolFocus on Local IssuesMuslims account for around 20 percent of the population in the Aurangabad Lok Sabha seat. But Jaleel still managed to win the seat, getting around 33 percent of the votes.This means that a sizable number of non-Muslim voters also voted for him. This was partly due to the party’s alliance with the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi in the Lok Sabha polls.But it was also due to the fact that the AIMIM didn’t just rely on identity issues – much of Jaleel’s campaign was centered around the district’s water woes. Even in these Assembly elections, the AIMIM has given a great deal of importance to water issues, particularly in the seats in the Marathwada region.In Mumbai, Owaisi also made it a point to talk about the PMC bank scam in his rallies in the city.AIMIM has over 100 municipal councillors across Maharashtra and this has helped the party customise their campaign according to the place and raise locally relevant issues.Non-Muslim CandidatesThe AIMIM also believes it can go beyond Muslim votes and has fielded a number of Hindu candidates across Maharashtra. Out of 44 AIMIM candidates, 12 are Hindus.One seat, where AIMIM’s Hindu candidate is giving a good fight to his rivals from the Shiv Sena and NCP, is Paithan in Aurangabad district. Here, AIMIM has fielded Prahlad Dhondiram Rathod, who belongs to the Banjara community.Addressing a rally in support of Rathod in Paithan on 17 October, Owaisi could be seen making the kite-flying gesture – in a video which went viral with the caption “Owaisi dancing”.Tactical AlliancesEven though the alliance with the VBA didn’t work out, the AIMIM and VBA are helping each other in a number of seats. Apparently, the AIMIM has openly declared support for VBA in seven of the seats where the latter is stronger.The VBA, on the other hand, is backing AIMIM in at least one of the seats in Aurangabad.In Mumbai, the AIMIM has arrived at a deal with the Samajwadi Party for a few seats. AIMIM is backing senior SP leader Abu Asim Azmi in Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar and the party’s Rais Shaikh in Bhiwandi East; the SP, meanwhile, announced its support for Owaisi’s party in Byculla.In Mumbra, where the AIMIM’s candidate withdrew in favour of the NCP, the Majlis had announced its support for Aam Aadmi Party candidate Altamash Faizi.ProspectsOwaisi has been drawing huge crowds in most of the rallies he has addressed during his campaign. Still there are concerns within the AIMIM whether these would translate into votes.AIMIM workers say that given Owaisi’s oratorical skills, crowds do come to listen to him but whether they would vote would depend on a number of other factors, such as booth management on polling day as well as the relative strength of rivals.The AIMIM, however, is said to be a serious contender in around a dozen seats. Its best bets are said to be three seats in Aurangabad, Malegaon Central, Nanded, Solapur, Raver and Parbhani and in Byculla and Kurla in Mumbai.Maharashtra & Haryana Polls: Is BJP’s Win a Foregone Conclusion?

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Maharashtra: Can Owaisi’s AIMIM Create Space for a Muslim Voice?

“Congress isn’t putting up a fight against BJP. Minorities need an alternative,” AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi

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Topics: Muslims Asaduddin Owaisi AIMIM