Lucknow: Asaduddin Owaisi’s marketing campaign for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Meeting elections suffered a setback Wednesday as Asim Waqar, a distinguished tv face and nationwide spokesperson of his All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), joined the Congress, ending his affiliation with the get together that started in 2017.
Throughout the becoming a member of ceremony, Waqar hit out at AIMIM, accusing it of functioning because the “B-team” of the BJP. “I can’t help those that are working because the B-team of the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering (BJP). I had joined AIMIM considering that it was a secular get together preventing in opposition to the BJP. However step by step, I realised that the get together was preventing not a lot in opposition to the BJP as in opposition to its political opponents,” Waqar stated.
He added that the Congress is preventing to save lots of democracy. “Anybody who works in opposition to the Congress is successfully serving to the BJP. I’m with Rahul Gandhi. Solely those that stand with Rahul Gandhi can combat the BJP.”
Taking a swipe at get together chief Owaisi, Waqar stated alliances involving AIMIM had harmed its political companions. “Whichever get together Owaisi has allied with has suffered losses. Kumaraswamy in Karnataka, KCR in Telangana and Prakash Ambedkar in Maharashtra are examples of this.”
A Lucknow resident, Waqar had emerged as a well-recognized face in Uttar Pradesh politics by way of his frequent tv appearances as AIMIM’s nationwide spokesperson. His typical jibe at tv anchors went viral on social media up to now. His induction into the Congress was facilitated by the get together’s minority division chief and Rajya Sabha MP Imran Pratapgarhi, sources informed ThePrint.
Nand, neither Asaduddin Owaisi nor any senior functionary have commented but on Waqar’s transfer.
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From SP to AIMIM to Congress
Waqar had spent practically 20 years with the Samajwadi Social gathering earlier than becoming a member of AIMIM, making his choice to hitch the Congress significantly vital. As an alternative of returning to the Samajwadi Social gathering, he has opted to hitch the Congress, regardless of his lengthy affiliation with the Uttar Pradesh-based get together.
Based on sources, Waqar had been sad for a while over selections taken by the AIMIM’s Uttar Pradesh unit. His discontent had intensified in latest months, ultimately resulting in hypothesis about his transfer to the Congress.
His exit comes at a big time for AIMIM in Uttar Pradesh. Owaisi has been actively making ready his get together for the upcoming Meeting elections and has repeatedly stated AIMIM will contest the polls with its full energy.
The get together, nevertheless has not but finalised the variety of seats it’ll contest. Owaisi has maintained that AIMIM’s organisational base within the state has strengthened and that extra voters are starting to view it instead political pressure.
Owaisi had stated final month that AIMIM would contest the elections, and that a greater efficiency would assist the get together establish constituencies the place it may strengthen its declare sooner or later. He has additionally sought to counter the notion of AIMIM as a ‘vote-cutting’ get together, as a substitute projecting it as an unbiased political different.
For the previous six months, Owaisi has stepped up his political actions in Uttar Pradesh and is probably going working in direction of an alliance with Chandrashekhar Azad’s Azad Samaj Social gathering (ASP), though neither get together has formally introduced the alliance but. However as per sources each events management will meet quickly to finalise the alliance deal as they’re ready for some extra small events to return alongside.
AIMIM efficiency in UP
Within the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Meeting elections, AIMIM contested 95 of the state’s 403 seats, with most of its candidates concentrated in western Uttar Pradesh. The get together didn’t win a single seat and secured round 0.4 per cent of the whole vote.
Within the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Owaisi prolonged help to Pallavi Patel’s Apna Dal (Kamerawadi). As a part of the association, AIMIM didn’t area candidates below its personal image.
Muslim voters type a big a part of Uttar Pradesh’s electoral panorama, making the group an important constituency for the Congress, Samajwadi Social gathering and AIMIM, all of that are in search of to consolidate and develop their help amongst Muslim voters. After Waqar’s exit, AIMIM is more likely to promote different younger Muslim faces earlier than the 2027 polls.
(Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya)
Additionally Learn: Why Owaisi chose Matera, a stronghold of Akhilesh’s SP, to launch AIMIM campaign for 2027 UP polls
