Asaduddin Owaisi Claims Bihar's 19% Muslim Population Lacks Political Leadership Ahead of Elections

Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM secured five seats in Bihar during the 2020 Assembly election, demonstrating the party's growing influence in the region.

Just before the Election Commission's announcement of Bihar election dates, AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi made a significant political statement addressing Muslim representation in Bihar politics.

Appealing directly to the minority community in the election-bound state, Owaisi remarked, "Yadav, Paswan, Thakur - every community has its own leader, but the 19 percent Muslims in Bihar have no leader."

According to the 2022 Bihar caste survey findings, Muslims constitute approximately 17.7 percent of Bihar's total population of about 13 crore people.

The AIMIM had achieved a remarkable breakthrough in the 2020 Bihar elections by winning five seats in the politically crucial Seemanchal region. However, four of those five AIMIM legislators later defected to the RJD.

Owaisi visited Bihar last month to campaign for his party. He had previously expressed willingness to join the Opposition alliance led by the RJD and Congress but claimed he received no positive response. The Opposition bloc has consistently rejected any alliance with AIMIM.

Addressing Bihar's Muslim population, Owaisi argued that India should have at least 50 Muslim MPs in the Lok Sabha proportionate to their population. He questioned, "If there were more than 50 Muslim MPs, could PM Modi have brought the Waqf (Amendment) Act?"

Muslims represent a critical component of the RJD's traditional support base, with the party historically relying on the MY (Muslim-Yadav) combination for electoral success. This explains Tejashwi Yadav's reluctance to include Owaisi in the Mahagathbandhan, as it might fragment this crucial support base.

During a previous Bihar rally, Owaisi accused Tejashwi Yadav of poaching four AIMIM legislators. "Our state president Akhtarul Iman, whom Tejashwi could not persuade to switch sides, informed me that members of our community were disappointed that Owaisi wasn't interested in forming an alliance with the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan. I told him they should do as they please," the outspoken leader stated.

"In our tradition, when the father is still active, we approach him before engaging with the son. So Iman sent a letter to Lalu ji (RJD president) expressing AIMIM's readiness for an alliance. Later, we also sent a letter to Tejashwi. Now, if they aren't responding, what can we possibly do?" Owaisi explained.

He revealed that while proposing the alliance, Iman had clearly stated that AIMIM was not seeking any ministerial positions if the Mahagathbandhan formed the next government.

"Our only conditions were six seats, considering we had already won five, and a written commitment that a Seemanchal Development Council would be established. But they showed no interest," Owaisi concluded.