2 months ago
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All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi has announced that his enactment volition contention the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections successful confederation with Humayun Kabir’s Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP). He has besides visited the State and addressed a property league with Mr. Kabir by his side.
The announcement of the confederation assumes value arsenic it indicates a caller churn successful West Bengal authorities up of the upcoming Assembly polls. One of the astir important factors that volition find the result of the 2026 polls is whether the Muslims volition proceed to enactment Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee oregon displacement their loyalties.
Battle of Bengal: On the West Bengal Assembly predetermination 2026
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has not fielded a azygous Muslim campaigner truthful far, has already fixed up connected the imaginable of securing Muslims votes for the main Opposition enactment successful the State. Therefore, it is near to the Left parties, the Congress, the Indian Secular Front (ISF) and the caller grouping of AIMIM and AJUP to question the enactment of Muslims, who comprise 27% of the electorate.
The Trinamool Congress, nether Ms. Banerjee’s leadership, has retained the enactment of Muslims since 2011. But aft 3 consecutive terms, the enactment is facing hard questions.
“She goes and offers prayers during Id. Does that capable the belly of Muslims?” Mr. Owaisi asked portion addressing the media successful Kolkata. The AIMIM person said that the quality improvement indicators of Muslim-dominated districts successful West Bengal stay abysmally poor.
Mr. Owaisi refused to beryllium drawn into the statement implicit the operation of a mosque styled connected Babri Masjid successful Murshidabad, a task that has fixed governmental momentum to his state Mr. Kabir. Instead, helium spoke astir the practice of Muslims successful State authorities jobs. Mr. Owaisi said that the percent of Muslims successful authorities jobs stands astatine 7% whereas their colonisation is 27%.
Proportional practice successful jobs and elected offices is simply a important question among the Muslim successful the State.
Mr. Owaisi and respective different Muslim leaders of West Bengal referred to the Sachar Committee report, which revealed the socio-economic backwardness of the assemblage during the Left Front rule.
During the 15 years of the Trinamool Congress rule, the fig of Muslims successful authorities jobs has remained low. The enactment has fixed tickets to 47 Muslim candidates retired of 291 announced for the 294-seat Assembly—just astir 16%, overmuch little than their colonisation share.
The fig of Muslim MLAs successful the outgoing 16th West Bengal Legislative Assembly remains astatine astir 14%— lowest successful the past 2 decades.
Mr. Kabir, who was suspended by the Trinamool Congress successful December 2025, has often argued that Muslims, forming 27% of the electorate, merit a Deputy Chief Minister.
Mr. Owaisi, however, said, “We are successful the combat for Chief Minister’s post, not a Deputy Chief Minister.”
There person been attempts successful the past to forge an confederation of parties that tin gully Muslim enactment distant from the Trinamool Congress. However, determination has been constricted success.
In the 2021 Assembly polls, the CPI(M)-led Left Front, along with the Congress, allied with the ISF. The confederation won lone 1 assembly seat—Bhangar—where ISF person Nawsad Siddique was elected.
CPI(M) State caput Md. Salim had reached retired to Mr. Kabir a fewer months ago, but the talks did not effect successful immoderate electoral understanding.
For the 2026 elections, since the Congress has decided to spell solo, the Left Front and the ISF person agreed connected a seat-sharing arrangement.
Mr.Kabir launched his Aam Janata Unnayan Party successful December 2025. By promoting the origin of a mosque styled connected the Babri Masjid and accusing the Trinamool Congress enactment of lone seeking Muslims votes and doing thing for the socio-economic improvement of the community, Mr. Kabir has managed to summation governmental limelight.
The AJUP person has announced candidates for astir 149 seats, including cardinal constituencies similar Bhabanipur and Nandigram. Mr. Kabir, who has power successful Murshidabad district, volition himself contention from 2 constituencies—Rejinagar and Naoda.
Though nary seat-sharing woody has been finalised betwixt the AJUP and the AIMIM, leaders of some parties person announced that they would clasp much than a twelve of associated rallies.
This is not the archetypal clip Mr. Owaisi has tried to trial the governmental waters successful West Bengal. In the 2021 Assembly polls, the AIMIM tried to lukewarm up to ISF but could not forge immoderate agreement. The ISF joined hands with the Left Front and the Congress.
Language remains a situation for the AIMIM, which is considered a enactment of Urdu-speaking Muslims, whereas astir of the Muslim colonisation of West Bengal is Bengali-speaking. With Mr. Kabir arsenic an ally, the AIMIM hopes to span the connection disagreement and marque a dent successful the Muslim enactment basal of the Trinamool Congress.
