AIMIM Seeks Alliance With RJD

Patna, July 4: As the political heat rises ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), led by Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, has formally reached out to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, expressing its desire to join the Mahagathbandhan alliance.

AIMIM’s Bihar unit president and lone MLA, Akhtarul Iman, sent a letter to Lalu on July 2, seeking the inclusion of the party in the state’s INDIA bloc prototype — which currently comprises the RJD, Congress, and Left parties. The letter, now circulating on social media, urges the coalition to welcome AIMIM in order to prevent a division of secular votes.

“Inclusion of AIMIM in the alliance will ensure a consolidated secular vote and enhance the chances of the Mahagathbandhan forming the next government in Bihar,” Iman wrote, emphasizing that such a step would be critical for the unity of opposition forces in the state.

He also revealed that AIMIM had made similar overtures during the last assembly elections but was not accommodated. This time, he said, party president Owaisi has already discussed the matter with leaders of Congress and Left parties over the phone, reaffirming AIMIM’s willingness to cooperate.

In the 2020 Bihar assembly elections, AIMIM contested as part of an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP), winning five seats — all in the Muslim-dominated Seemanchal region. The party was seen as a vote-cutter for the Mahagathbandhan, which ultimately lost to the NDA by a narrow margin.

Since then, all but one of AIMIM’s MLAs defected to the RJD in 2022, leaving Iman as the party’s lone legislator. Despite that, AIMIM continues to enjoy significant grassroots support in parts of Bihar, particularly in eastern districts.

Whether the RJD and its allies will accept AIMIM’s proposal remains to be seen, but the move signals a growing urgency among opposition parties to unite against the BJP-led NDA in the upcoming elections.