Maharashtra Assembly polls: AIMIM will chart its own course if MVA doesn't revert by Sep 9 on alliance, says Imtiaz Jaleel

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The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has extended a proposal to the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) for an electoral alliance ahead of the state elections. However, if the opposition coalition does not respond by September 9, AIMIM will move forward independently, party's former lawmaker Imtiaz Jaleel announced on Saturday.

Jaleel stated that AIMIM is eager to contest a select number of seats where the Hyderabad-based party has significant influence. Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, he emphasised the party's intent to prevent the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti coalition, which includes Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), from retaining power in the Maharashtra Assembly polls, reported PTI.

Although AIMIM and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) have ideological differences, Jaleel explained that AIMIM is willing to ally with MVA owing to "political compulsions" and in the best interests of farmers and the people of Maharashtra.

The Maharashtra Assembly polls are expected to take place by the end of the year.

Jaleel revealed that preliminary discussions had taken place with MVA leaders, including those from the Congress, Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT), and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP), regarding AIMIM's proposal to contest seats where it holds strong support. However, he expressed frustration that MVA has not yet responded on the alliance for the Maharashtra Assembly polls.

"We did not ask for too many seats. We have waited long enough. What if they refuse us at the last minute? If we don't hear back by September 9, we will begin distributing forms to our aspiring candidates. AIMIM will then determine how many seats to contest. We are reassessing our strategy," said Jaleel.

In the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly polls, AIMIM contested on 44 seats and secured two victories. BJP won the highest number of seats (105), while the undivided NCP and Shiv Sena took 56 and 54, respectively. The Congress secured 44 seats in the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly polls.

Jaleel expressed concern that MVA's leadership, particularly Sharad Pawar, Thackeray, and state Congress chief Nana Patole, may not be interested in including AIMIM in the alliance. "It seems they only want three chairs on the stage - those of Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, and Nana Patole. They don't want us to be the fourth party," he said.

Jaleel, a former representative of the Aurangabad Lok Sabha seat, acknowledged that AIMIM may not gain significantly from an alliance with MVA. However, he warned that the opposition bloc could suffer major setbacks if it fails to bring AIMIM into the fold.

When asked about the "bulldozer justice" and if the Supreme Court's recent criticism would halt such actions, Jaleel expressed his doubts and said, "I don't think it will stop. These observations have been made before. The real question is whether the authorities will heed the court's orders."

(With PTI inputs)