AIMIM remains undecided on Karnataka Assembly polls
The party contested the last Bengaluru municipal elections, but it did not manage to win any seats.
Hyderabad: The All India Majlis-e Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has not yet decided whether or not it will contest the Karnataka Assembly elections scheduled to be held next month.
A few parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress, have released their first lists of candidates. Meanwhile, the AIMIM has yet to make a formal announcement regarding the elections.
According to sources in the party, the leadership is still examining the pros and cons of contesting the elections. It is yet to finalise the constituencies for which the party will put up candidates. The leadership is keen on contesting the elections from the districts of Karnataka that were once part of the Nizam’s state. The party will reportedly contest seats in Bijapur, Bidar, Gulbarga, and a few other districts.
The AIMIM has a significant presence in certain parts of Karnataka. It has some corporators in the municipalities of Bidar and Basavakalyan. The party contested the last Bengaluru municipal elections, but it did not manage to win any seats.
Several field-level workers and leaders of the party have been regularly visiting the AIMIM headquarters and meeting with the party leadership in the hope of being given tickets. A source reveals that the leadership is expected to make a decision regarding the matter within a day or two.
A senior leader from the party says that the leadership wants to ensure that the Bharatiya Janata Party does not benefit from AIMIM putting up candidates, as it could result in the division of minority votes. The AIMIM has two MLAs in the Maharashtra Assembly and seven in the Telangana Assembly.