Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)
Bengaluru, Dec 13: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) led by its firebrand chief, Asaduddin Owaisi, which had mostly confined itself to Hyderabad and surrounding areas till reently, has planned to field some candidates in the assembly election being held in Karnataka next year. This plan has been giving sleepless nights to Congress leaders as they are afraid that its Muslim vote bank might get eroded and get weaned away from the Congress.
AIMIM almost entirely relies on Muslim vote bank for its survival. To offset its influence, Congress party, it is gathered, plans to enter into an electoral understanding with that party. Chief minister, Siddaramaiah, has given the responsibility of speaking to Owaisi and convincing him, to JD(S) legislator representing Chamarajpet constituency, Zameer Ahmed Khan, who will be joining the Congress shortly.
Asaduddin Owaisi
So far, Owaisi has not made any advances on this deal, nor has he disclosed about the probable number of candidates his party would be fielding in Karnataka. Owaisi said that emissaries deputed by Zameer are trying to meet him. Owaisi, who represents Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat, said he is aware that Zameer Ahmed Khan had been critical of him and that he had gone through certain videos of Zameer showing him speaking ill of the former. "Zameer now plans to join Congress and therefore is trying to move closer to me. I have told his people to advise Zameer to firmly make up his mind first," he commented. Owaisi is also is unhappy with the Siddaramaiah government as it had refused permission to him to address a public meeting in the past in Karnataka.
Owaisi says that the number of seats AIMIM would be contesting in Karnataka has not yet been decided, adding that discussions are on between party leaders to decide about the pocketes from which party candidates can be fielded. The party had fielded several candidates mostly in Muslim-dominant areas in Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike election in 2015. In Uttar Pradesh local bodies election, it has won 29 out of 78 seats it contested.
Several political analysts believe that it would be to the detriment of the interests of Congress party if AIMIM enters fray in Karnataka.