Maharashtra civic body polls: AIMIM will never align with BJP, says Owaisi

AIMIM All India Majlis e Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday dismissed any possibility of an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP after his partyrsquos strong showing in the Maharashtra municipal elections remarking that ldquothe two shores of the sea can never meetrdquo news agency ANI reportedIn an exclusive interview with ANI Owaisi referred to a recent incident in Akot where AIMIM corporators had attempted to align with the BJP He said five AIMIM corporators were elected in Akot and had earlier been cautioned by the party leadershipOwaisi said the corporators initially claimed they were unaware that the group they had joined was linked to the BJP He added that the party subsequently directed them to immediately submit a letter to the municipal commissioner and withdraw their supportldquoTwo shores can never meetrdquo Owaisi rules out AIMIMBJP tieupLook this cannot happen The two shores of the sea can never become one Five corporators from Akot had won and we had warned them Earlier they told us that while forming the group they did not know that it was the BJP So we told them to immediately write a letter to their Municipal Commissioner and withdraw from that group Owaisi told ANIHe further stated that it later emerged that a BJP leaders son had been accommodated through cooption following which Imtiaz Jaleel suspended the corporators from the party Owaisi made it clear that AIMIM would take strict action against any member aligning with rival political formationsIt was found out that when the BJP leaders son was accommodated through cooption Imtiaz Jaleel suspended them from the party Whoever it may be BJP Eknath Shinde or Ajit Pawar if they go with them the party will take action against them he saidHighlighting AIMIMs performance in the Maharashtra municipal polls Owaisi said the party had won 125 seats in the recent elections and around 85 seats in the local body elections held about a month earlier He added that AIMIM now has over 200 corporators across municipal councils and municipal corporations in the stateThis time we have won 125 seats In the municipal elections held about a month ago nearly 85 of our candidates were victorious If you look at municipal councils and municipal corporations together we now have over 200 corporators who have won If a party is unable to win it is clear that there may be shortcomings on the part of that party We have been working consistently at the grassroots level for years Owaisi told ANIAIMIM registered significant gains in the recently concluded Maharashtra municipal body elections winning more seats than in the previous polls and securing eight seats in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation electionsResponding to a question about leadership Owaisi reiterated that he does not seek to present himself as a Muslim leaderNo I have always said that I neither am nor do I want to become a leader for Muslims It is our partys attempt to ensure that we create hundreds of leaders and these people will take on leadership roles in future he saidOn AIMIM outperforming parties such as the Nationalist Congress Party Sharadchandra Pawar and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena in certain areas Owaisi said consistent grassroots work and a clear public message had helped the party gain public trustWe have been working hard there We give one consistent message in the media and public and that creates an impact on the public said OwaisiAIMIMs tally marks a substantial rise from the 2017 municipal elections when AIMIM had secured 81 seats This time it posted strong performances in cities such as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Malegaon Dhule Amravati Solapur and Mumbai The victory in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation was particularly significant as it marked AIMIMs firstever entry into the civic body of Indias financial capitalIn Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar alone AIMIM candidates won more than 30 wards consolidating the partys standing in the region Observers credit sustained grassroots campaigning and direct voter engagement for the improved outcomeMeanwhile across the 2869 seats across municipal bodies the BJPled Mahayuti emerged as the clear winner in multiple places securing 1824 seatsShiv Sena UBT and MNS together managed to win only 168 seats across the state in the recently concluded local body pollsThe Congress which fought the polls alongside the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi VBA secured 324 seats The NCP which was in alliance with the Sharad Pawarled NCP SP in Pune and PimpriChinchwad won 167 and 36 seats respectivelyWith ANI inputs