E-Paper
Lok Sabha Elections 2019: All bets are off on Kishanganj this time
Sensing the vacuum, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), headed by Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, has decided to all-out to open its account in Bihar from Kishanganj. Taslimuddin and sitting Cong MP dead, Owaisi goes for the kill, NDA smells blood.
The fight for Kishanganj Lok Sabha seat, the only Muslim majority parliamentary constituency in the state, seems set to be a multi-cornered cliffhanger of a battle, given the void following the recent death of its sitting Congress MP Maulana Asra-ul-Haque Qasmi and the demise of Seemanchal strongman Md Taslimuddin, who was the RJD MP from Araria till his death in September 2017.
Kishanganj, where Muslims account for 70% of the total voters, has been a bastion of the Congress, which has won the seat eight times.
“This time, the Congress is in a fix over the selection of its candidate,” a senior leader of the party said.
Sensing the vacuum, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), headed by Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, has decided to all-out to open its account in Bihar from Kishanganj. “AIMIM is desperate to establish its presence in Bihar through Kishanganj. But this may divide the Muslims and give an edge to NDA,” said Md Shamim, a local leader.
AIMIM has already announced to field its Bihar unit president Akhtarul Iman, also known as ”Bihar’s Owaisi”, from Kishanganj. Iman, who had joined JD (U) in 2014 and was given ticket from Kishanganj, abruptly pulled out and supported Congress nominee to defeat the BJP.
The next year, he joined AIMIM and contested from Kochadhaman assembly seat, but lost to JD (U)’s Mujahid Alam.
AIMIM has so far failed to establish its presence in Bihar, either in Assembly or in Parliament, despite the fact Asaduddin Owaisi and his younger brother Akbaruddin Owaisi had vigorously campaigned for his party’s six nominees in the last Assembly polls 2015.
Md Taslimuddin, who brought Iman into politics and once declared him his political heir, later distanced himself from him.
However, when Taslimuddin has died and his two sons are fighting over their father’s political legacy, AIMIM hopes for a better performance in the Seemanchal region.
From the NDA side, JD (U) is already looking for a strong candidate. Party sources said, “If BJP cadre goes heart and soul behind the JD (U) nominee, NDA will have better prospects, given the political void in the opponent’s camp,” a JD (U) leader said, adding that in case of a division of Muslim votes among AIMIM, Congress and JD (U), the NDA appeared set to benefit.
Seat in contention
8 times won by Congress
1999 BJP won the seat when its nominee Syed Shahnawaz Hussain had defeated Md Taslimuddin
3 times won by Md Taslimuddin
11, 86, 369: total voters in 2014
70 % of voters are Muslims
