Kolkata: The All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM), led by Asaduddin Owaisi, has announced to contest all 294 assembly seats in West Bengal during next year’s elections.
This announcement was made by AIMIM spokesperson Imran Solanki at a press conference in Kolkata.
Solanki claimed that the Muslim population in West Bengal has surpassed 40 percent, citing the 2011 census as outdated. He argued that TMC’s electoral success is largely dependent on Muslim votes but criticized the party for not doing enough for the community.
Solanki emphasized that AIMIM, which has previously contested in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Delhi, will fight from every seat in Bengal. He highlighted the party’s performance in the recent panchayat elections, where AIMIM garnered 60,000 votes in Malda, 25,000 in Murshidabad, and between 15,000 and 18,000 votes in other regions of the state.
Addressing the political scenario in West Bengal, Solanki criticized both the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing them of exploiting Muslim votes while failing to deliver for the community. He specifically pointed to the lack of a university in Murshidabad, a district with a significant Muslim population, and the increasing presence of RSS offices in areas under the TMC’s governance.
Notably, AIMIM has also launched a membership drive in the state, as the party looks to strengthen its presence ahead of the 2024 assembly elections. While the TMC has maintained its stronghold in the state with over 200 seats in the last assembly elections, AIMIM aims to expand its influence.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, TMC secured 29 seats in Bengal, far outpacing BJP’s 12 seats, further solidifying Mamata Banerjee’s dominance in the state’s political scene.
