AIMIM to enter poll fray in Maharashtra, likely to contest seven seats

After the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) decided to go solo this Lok Sabha election, more trouble is brewing for the opposition parties

Mumbai: After the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) decided to go solo this Lok Sabha election, more trouble is brewing for the opposition parties as All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is preparing to enter the poll fray independently. The party is likely to contest around seven seats. Imtiyaz Jaleel, who is heading the party in Maharashtra, will also seek a second term from Aurangabad Lok Sabha constituency.

Pune, India - October 6, 2019: Imtiaz Jaleel at Mahatma Phule ground, Ambedkar college, Nana peth in Pune, India, on Sunday, October 6, 2019. (Photo by Rahul Raut/HT PHOTO)

Jaleel told HT the party is planning to contest six or seven seats. “Aurangabad is our seat and I will be contesting the elections to reclaim it once again,” he confirmed. Jaleel won the 2019 election from Aurangabad by a small margin of 4,492 votes. It was a four-pronged fight as apart from Shiv Sena and Congress, former MNS MLA Harshwardhan Jadhav also contested from the seat as an independent candidate. Apart from Aurangabad, AIMIM is likely to contest in Pune, Beed, Nanded, Buldhana and two seats in and around Mumbai.

The development could mean further trouble for the opposition alliance Maharahtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) as AIMIM’s entry will make the fight triangular and even four cornered on a few seats. In the last general elections, the combination of AIMIM and VBA was responsible for the defeat of the Congress-NCP candidates in 11 constituencies across the state by eating into their vote share. The VBA and AIMIM alliance were able to poll 41.08 lakh votes thus bringing their tally to 7.63 % of the total votes polled in the state. Their candidates ensured the defeat of two former chief ministers — Ashok Chavan and Sushilkumar Shinde.

This time both the AIMIM and VBA are contesting the elections on their own. VBA has already declared candidates on 20 seats so far and AIMIM is planning to fight on seven seats including Aurangabad. Jaleel said that they are planning to contest two seats in Mumbai. “Combining two seats of Thane and Kalyan, there are around eight seats surrounding Mumbai and we are in the process of identifying candidates for contesting on two of them. I won’t be able to declare the name of the seats as of now,” he stated.

The Asaduddin Owaisi-led party is also planning to contest from Pune that falls in western Maharashtra; Beed and Nanded from Marathwada and possibly Buldhana from Vidarbha region.

Jaleel revealed about their alliance with Anandraj Ambedkar led Republic Sena. “We have decided to extend our support to Anandraj Ambedkar, who is contesting elections from the Amravati Lok Sabha seat,” he disclosed.

With Anandraj Ambedkar in the fray, Amravati is looking at a triangular contest with BJP fielding sitting MP Navneet Rana and Congress nominating Balwant Wankhede from the constituency.