All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, the Hyderabad-based Muslim political party, is all set to venture into the Bihar State politics. The party chief and Member of Parliament Asaduddin Owaisi is likely to announce the decision to contest the Bihar Assembly elections on Saturday.
Sources said that the party after prolonged discussions in the party’s executive
committee as well as the
consultations with its leaders in Bihar decided to enter
the fray. “The party will contest 10 to 15 Assembly seats”, sources said.
According to the party leaders, candidates have already been finalised for some of the seats. Kishangunj, a Muslim majority and one of the most backward districts of Bihar was likely to be the focus of MIM’s attention.
Owaisi has already visited the Seemanchal region and addressed a well attended rally there. But on the question of contesting the elections, the party kept the cards closed to its chest. But after the Election Commission announcing the schedule for the Bihar polls, the MIM was also under pressure to announce its decision.
MIM, which has its base mainly in the Deccan region, specially the Muslim dominated areas of Hyderabad recently hit the headlines at the national level when it made a successful debut in Maharashtra Assembly elections and won two Assembly seats campaigning on the issues of political and economic empowerment of Muslims and Dalits.
The party followed it up with an impressive performance in Aurangabad Municipal Corporations and emerged as the main Opposition.