Akbaruddin Owaisi shared a picture of himself, party chief Asaduddin Owaisi, spokesperson Waris Pathan and MP Jaleel and said that they are coming.
By Abdulhafiz Lakhani Ahmedabad
Close on the heels of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) of Asaduddin Owaisi and BTP’s possible alliance in Gujarat for coming local elections and subsequent Gujarat Assembly election inn2022 ,Some senior Muslim social activists and political leaders who are close to Congress are in touch with Asaduddin Owasi as they are not happy with Congress’s anti-Muslim policies .
According to reliable sources, After the death of Ahmed Patel – one of the senior most leader and close aide of Sonia Gandhi, the quick entry of AIMIM in Gujarat is widely talking point in political circles of state.
In past questions are being raised on why Asaduddin Owaisi, who repeatedly declared that the AIMIM will contest elections in every Indian state except Assam and Kerala, avoided contest with the BJP in Gujarat, reports are abuzz that Asaduddin Owaisi and Ahmed Patel have actually become “Bhai-Bhai” and that the former allegedly struck a deal with the later for not contesting the polls in Gujarat. Now Ahmed Patel is no more, so Owaisi is all set to conquer Gujarat
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen is likely to contest the upcoming civic polls, sources said. This is the first time the party may be contesting an election in the state. The AIMIM is eyeing more than five seats in the polls. Several activists, NGOs and community members who are keen on bringing AIMIM to Gujarat have been in touch with party chief and MP Asaduddin Owaisi.
Gujarat has always seen a two-party democracy and a third party usually does not find its entry viable.
However, the hype around AIMIM has been cause for anxiety in the political corridors, more so because of the party’s strong views on Muslim’s issues. However, there has not been an official announcement yet in this regard.
AIMIM’s Aurangabad Lok Sabha MP Imtiaz Jaleel said that the party will contest the polls in alliance with the Chhotubhai Vasava-led Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP). Akbaruddin Owaisi on Wednesday shared a picture of himself, party chief Asaduddin Owaisi, spokesperson Waris Pathan and MP Jaleel and said that they are coming.
“We plan to contest the local bodies’ elections in Gujarat in alliance with the BTP. We do not have a state unit as yet in Gujarat but there are AIMIM supporters working in places like Ahmedabad and Bharuch,” Jaleel told PTI “I am going to Gujarat in the first week of next month for talks with BTP, after which I will submit a report to my party president,” he added. The BTP has two MLAs in the 182-member Gujarat Assembly.
The election to six municipal corporations ‘ Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, Vadodara, Jamnagar and Bhavnagar ‘ along with 55 municipalities, 31 district panchayats and 231 taluka panchayats were scheduled for October-November but were postponed by three months due to COVID pandemic.
MIM may field candidates from Gomtipur, Jamalpur, Behrampura, Dariapur and Danilimda areas that constitute 55-85 per cent Muslims.
Hindutva” severely hurt Muslims in Gujarat. “The Congress in Gujarat is scared to stand by our side. Local leaders have been avoiding us. This comatose state of the Congress has left a vacuum and we want AIMIM to fill it,” Zuber Goplani, vice-president of All India Majlis-E-Mushavarat said.
Zuber Gopalani,also an educationist, entrepreneur and Congress supporter from Gujarat, while talking to siyasat net,, said, “Muslims are marginalised not only in national politics but even in Congress Party. Why Minority cell chief is not invited as a special invitee in CWC. Even at state and taluka level minority leaders are not included in screening committees. In minority dominated areas non minority leaders are appointed at Zilla and Taluka panchayat, positions in municipal corporation is given to non minority leaders in spite of seniority and deserving under merit. In the state, Muslims are not given proper representation in organisation. Even after so much injustice to Gujarat Muslims, community voted for Congress but Congress MLAs switch over to BJP. Congress is also responsible Gujarat distrub act which force Muslims to live in inhuman conditions in some selected Muslim dominated areas.
The already beleaguered Congress knows this is bad news for the party in Gujarat. Leader of Opposition in state assembly Paresh Dhanani told here that, “This is a frustrated BJP’s B team. BTP plus AIMIM equals BJP. We know this well. But Congress will win, people have seen through the game.”
Gujarat BJP president CR Patil appeared quite nonchalant. “Let them fight the elections, it is a democracy. We will fight them too.” Asked if this wasn’t an advantage for the BJP, Patil said, “We don’t see anything from such a prism. We work hard, our development agenda speaks, we go to people with that.”
Political analysts see this as a clear marriage of convenience that may lead to electoral polarisation in Gujarat. Political and social scientist Vidyut Joshi says, “All these alliances are largely positioning, and have little to do with ideology. The BTP will fight only tribal seats, while Owaisi would look at Muslim dominated seats in major cities. However, in both cases, this will lead to consolidation of non-tribal and non-Muslim vote in favour of the BJP.”
Former state Congress president and senior leader Arjun Modhwadia told here , “AIMIM has become a national B Team of the BJP. They did it in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and now they are coming to Gujarat. But this time, BJP’s tricks won’t work, you will see
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