In a significant political move ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) has reached out to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav with a formal letter, urging the inclusion of AIMIM in the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance). The letter was written by Akhtarul Iman, the state president of AIMIM's Bihar unit.
Addressing the RJD chief, Iman wrote, "You are well aware that since 2015, AIMIM has been playing an active role in Bihar politics. From day one, our party has consistently tried to ensure that secular votes do not get divided during elections. It's an undeniable fact that the fragmentation of secular votes paves the way for communal forces to come to power. With this same intention, we had expressed our willingness to join the Mahagathbandhan during both the previous Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. Unfortunately, our efforts couldn’t materialise,” he added.
Request for a positive decision on the proposal
Highlighting the upcoming 2025 Assembly elections, Iman further stated, "We now sincerely hope that AIMIM will be included in the Grand Alliance. I have already informed several senior leaders of RJD, Congress, and Left parties both verbally and over the phone regarding our intent—something that has also been covered in the media."
"I am confident that if we contest the upcoming elections together, we can successfully prevent the splitting of secular votes, and as a result, ensure that Bihar’s next government is formed by the Mahagathbandhan. We hope you will consider this proposal positively and respond at the earliest," the letter added.
AIMIM had won five seats in 2020 from Seemanchal
In the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, AIMIM had made a strong entry into the state’s political arena by securing five seats—mainly from the Muslim-dominated Seemanchal region. The performance turned AIMIM into a notable force in the Bihar legislative assembly and raised expectations that the party would play a long inning in state politics. However, the political tide turned against AIMIM just a year and a half later. On June 29, 2022, the party faced a major setback when four of its five MLAs defected and joined the RJD led by Tejashwi Yadav. Akhtarul Iman remained the lone AIMIM legislator who chose to stay loyal to the party.
Bihar Assembly Elections 2025
It should be noted here that the Legislative Assembly election for all 243 constituencies in Bihar is expected to be held in October or November 2025. The previous assembly elections were held in October–November 2020. After the election, the National Democratic Alliance formed the state government, with Nitish Kumar becoming Chief Minister. Later, In August 2022, Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) snapped ties with NDA and formed the government with RJD-led Mahagathbandhan. Later, In January 2024 Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) snapped ties with RJD-led Mahagathbandhan and again formed the government with the BJP.
ALSO READ
