AMID the controversy over the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, months to go for the Assembly elections, the AIMIM has formally written to the RJD requesting that the party be included in the Mahagathbandhan alliance.
The Opposition led by the RJD has accused that the EC exercise will disenfranchise a large section of voters in Bihar, especially in Muslim-majority regions like Seemanchal, which are the base of the AIMIM in the state.
In the letter, written on July 2 to RJD chief Lalu Prasad, AIMIM Bihar president and MLA Akhtarul Iman has stated: “Since 2015, the AIMIM has played an active role in Bihar politics. From day one, our effort has been to prevent the division of secular votes during elections. It cannot be denied that the split in secular votes has enabled communal forces to come to power.”
He added: “We had expressed our desire to join the Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan) during the previous Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, but our efforts did not succeed. With the 2025 Assembly elections approaching, we once again wish for the AIMIM to be included in the Mahagathbandhan.”
Iman, who represents the Amour constituency in Purnia, added that he had already communicated this to several senior leaders of the Mahagathbandhan, including those belonging to the RJD, Congress and Left, in person and over the phone. “If we all contest the upcoming Assembly elections together, I am confident we can prevent the split of secular votes and ensure that the next government in Bihar is formed by the Mahagathbandhan,” Iman wrote.
The RJD, however, indicated that it was not open to an alliance, with spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari questioning the AIMIM’s secular credentials. “The AIMIM’s political history suggests that their actions have inadvertently benefited the BJP. They have always worked as the BJP’s B team. This time, however, the voters are more aware and are not going to come under their influence. The secular vote isn’t going anywhere… the people of Bihar are determined to see Tejashwi Yadav as their next Chief Minister… Those concerned about communal forces can already sense a strong wave of support for Tejashwi Yadav sweeping across Bihar,” Tiwari told The Indian Express.
At the same time, he added: “The final decision rests with Lalu ji and Tejashwi ji.”
Speaking to PTI Videos, RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha said the AIMIM should stay away from elections in Bihar and instead extend “in-principle” support to the Mahagatbandhan. “For everyone who is fighting against right-wing dictatorship, politics of hatred, there are such moments in history when you have to try to strengthen the stream which emerges as the main opponent,” Jha said.
“In the leadership of Tejashwi Yadav, the Mahagathbandhan has given a defined line against this politics of hatred. It would be better if you (AIMIM) stay away from elections and extend in-principle support, and pray that this politics of hatred ends in Bihar,” the RJD leader said.
Led by Asaduddin Owaisi, the AIMIM made its electoral debut in Bihar in the 2015 Assembly elections, and in 2020, won five seats in the Seemanchal region, out of the 20 it contested. (However, four of its MLAs later defected to the RJD in 2022, leaving Iman as the AIMIM’s sole representative in the state Assembly.)
The success of the AIMIM is believed to have come at the cost of the RJD in the Seemanchal region, with the latter counting Muslims along with Yadavs as its crucial support base. This cost the Mahagathbandhan dearly, as in 2020, it narrowly missed getting an outright majority.
With last year’s Lok Sabha polls indicating a decline in the Mahagathbandhan’s popularity in Bihar, the alliance has been trying to consolidate Muslim votes behind it. RJD, Congress and Left leaders were a prominent presence at the June 29 protest against the Centre’s Waqf (Amendment) Act in Patna.
Addressing the rally, Tejashwi said, “When a government of the poor (referring to the Mahagathbandhan) comes to power, Bihar will throw this law into the dustbin.”
He also pointed to the RJD’s opposition to the Act in both Houses of Parliament, and its plea against it in the Supreme Court, and said the party would continue to fight the legislation “in the House, on the streets, and in the courts”.