Bihar polls: Owaisi eyes alliance or third front

With Bihar headed for assembly elections in a few months, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has stepped up efforts to re-engage the state's minority vote bank, especially after the passage of the Waqf Bill. Concerned about losing ground, especially after RJD and Congress joined anti-Waqf protests, AIMIM is trying to reposition itself.

In 2020, AIMIM won five seats in alliance with Upendra Kushwaha and BSP-all in the Seemanchal region-but four MLAs later defected to the RJD. The party is now left with just Akhtarul Iman, its state chief.

Iman recently wrote an open letter to INDIA bloc parties urging them to include AIMIM in their alliance. "We're waiting for a response. The assembly session starts next week. If they ignore us, the people will judge both sides," he told ET.


On the SIR exercise in Bihar, Owaisi met EC officials separately in Delhi. Iman, who is among the petitioners in the Supreme Court case, said, "I am the only petitioner who is also a voter in Bihar."

Sources said Owaisi and Iman are also exploring a third front, similar to their 2020 strategy.