AIMIM enters fray for Mumbai, Thane civic polls

All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has decided to make inroads in the wealthy corporations of Mumbai and Thane by contesting municipal corporation polls scheduled next year. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, who was in the town last week, announced that the party would contest the local body polls in Mumbai, Thane and rural Maharashtra. The party would be showcasing its development model of Hyderabad where it has sizable people’s representatives focusing on minorities and dalits.

“We are going to contest all the local body polls in Maharashtra, with focus on Mumbai and Thane municipal corporations. Our party chief, too, has announced the same. We have our cadre across the state and would soon decide over the number of seats to be contested,” said MIM MLA from Mumbai, Waris Pathan. The party has two MLAs in Maharashtra and 25 corporators in Aurangabad civic body.

The AIMIM would focus on development works for the local body polls, which according to them is what the voters are looking for. “We have done a lot of work in Telangana. We have schools, colleges and hospitals there. We would replicate our development model here in Maharashtra. We also aim to focus on minorities and dalit issues,” Pathan added. The AIMIM’s entry into Maharashtra’s local politics is being seen as a threat to the Congress, as the former would divide Muslim votes. The Congress also faces threat from the Samajwadi Party that has Muslim voters. Congress leaders have alleged that the BJP is behind the AIMIM’s entry in the state. “Wherever parties like AIMIM and SP have entered politics, Hindutva parties like BJP and Shiv Sena have gained in elections. But now the voters have been alienated from AIMIM and it would be difficult for them to make an entry in municipal corporations,” said Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant.