All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) national spokesperson Syed Asim Waqar joined the Congress on Wednesday, alleging that AIMIM was functioning as the BJP’s “B-team”.
Explaining his decision, Syed Asim Waqar said he realised that while AIMIM claimed to oppose the BJP, it was effectively targeting the broader Opposition working to defeat the ruling party.
“I realised that AIMIM was fighting not so much against the BJP as against its political opponents, helping the BJP as its friend,” Waqar said after joining the Congress in New Delhi.
“All those whom (AIMIM chief Asaduddin) Owaisi joined hands (with) were wiped out in elections. I am joining the Congress because it is the party working against the BJP under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi,” he added.
Waqar’s move comes amid AIMIM efforts to strengthen its presence in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the 2027 assembly elections.
Waqar joined the Congress in the presence of Imran Pratapgarhi, Rajya Sabha MP and national chairman of the Congress minority department, Ajay Rai, the Uttar Pradesh Congress president, and Rajendra Pal Gautam, the party’s state in-charge.
Waqar had been associated with AIMIM for nearly a decade. He was earlier with the Samajwadi Party for two decades.
{{/usCountry}}Waqar had been associated with AIMIM for nearly a decade. He was earlier with the Samajwadi Party for two decades.
{{/usCountry}}In the 2022 assembly elections, AIMIM contested 96 of the state’s 403 seats but failed to win any.
“Asim Waqar’s vision and thoughts are connected to the dream that our leader Rahul Gandhi envisioned for this country. In 2027, the Congress flag will flutter in every village and every street of Uttar Pradesh,” said UP Congress president Ajay Rai.