No Word On INDIA Bloc Invite, Asaduddin Owaisi To Start Solo Bihar Campaign

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi will start his Bihar election campaign with a three-day 'Seemanchal Nyay Yatra' from Tuesday.

He will begin prepping for the poll, likely in November, on his own, though he was looking to join the opposition Mahagathbandhan led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress. The lack of a favourable response from that alliance, however, has led to him striking out on his own.

Mr Owaisi told NDTV he reached out to the RJD thrice but has not yet gotten a reply.

"Akhtarul Iman wrote two letters to Lalu Prasad Yadav and a third and last to Tejashwi Yadav... we are ready to take six seats. You don't even have to give us a ministry. What more can we do..."

RJD sources said giving AIMIM space in Seemanchal now could lead the party to demand seats in other Muslim-dominated areas in the future, including in Darbhanga and Madhubani.

Sources also pointed out Muslims are a big part of their voter base anyway.

It has also been suggested the RJD is concerned about the BJP pitting the contest as a 'Hindu v Muslim' fight if the AIMIM joins the Mahagathbandhan.

In the 2020 election, the AIMIM contested 25 seats and won five - Amour, Kochadaman, Baisi, Jokihat, and Bahadurganj. Most of these are in the Muslim-dominated Seemanchal belt.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha election it failed to win any seats but kept the Seemanchal base alive.

Sources have said Asaduddin Owaisi is looking to expand the AIMIM's footprint beyond those 25 seats this time, banking on local discontent and social workers joining his camp.

If there is finally to be no understanding between the RJD, Congress, and the AIMIM, this could cut into the RJD-Congress vote share in Muslim-dominated Seemanchal, altering Bihar's 2025 equations.

The AIMIM, incidentally, offers issue-based support to the Telangana's ruling Congress.

The yatra will include roadshows and roadside meetings, and will start from Kishanganj, aiming to "unite the people for the development and deliver justice for Seemanchal region". It will cover the Kishanganj, Araria, Purnia, and Katihar districts, which are long-time focus areas of Owaisi, and where he has pushed for a Seemanchal Development Council under Article 371.