Asaduddin Owaisi meets SBSP to discuss pre-poll alliance for Uttar Pradesh polls

Hyderabad: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi met Om Prakash Rajbhar, chief of the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP), at Lucknow and discussed a pre-poll alliance for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections scheduled in 2022. The meeting comes a day after the Aam Aadmi Party announced that it will contest the UP elections.

Invigorated by the results of the Bihar Assembly elections, where the party won five seats, the AIMIM chief is looking to spread its wings in the northern states. He has already announced that the party will field its candidates in the West Bengal Assembly elections due next year.

Speaking of his meeting with Rajbhar, Owaisi said, “So we will go along with him. We will go with the ‘Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha’.” To a question on whether he would ally with Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party, Owaisi said it was unlikely at this stage. “I don’t know what lies for us in the future. But as of now, I am part of the Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha and we will take it forward, and see what happens in the future.”

He said that in Bihar the MIM had contested under a grand alliance. “Rajbharji too had a role in the success we got in Bihar. We got a lot of confidence from the success there, and we will continue that momentum,” he added.

Owaisi said every election was different. “Our party workers led by UP unit president Shaukat Ali are working very hard and this time I am sure that our performance will be much better.” He recalled that the AIMIM has fought the UP elections earlier as well but without success. Since then, the party has contested a few municipal corporations polls. “We have been working continuously to strengthen our base,” he said.

Rajbhar said the Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha was striving for education, health and jobs. Replying to allegations that the AIMIM “splits” votes, Rajbhar said, “We want Owaisiji to split the votes of his community,  Rajbhar will split those of his, and Krishna Patel (Apna Dal) of her community. Let all these votes get accumulated and ensure our win.”

The 'morcha' also includes former Bahujan Samaj Party leader Babu Singh Kushwaha's Jan Adhikar Party, Babu Ram Pal-led Rashtra Uday Party, Anil Singh Chauhan-led Janta Kranti Party and Premchand Prajapati's Rashtriya Upekshit Samaj Party.