AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi announces three candidates for Rajasthan Assembly polls

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has announced that his party will field three candidates in the upcoming Rajasthan Assembly polls. He said that more names will be announced in consultation with the state leadership.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi announced on Saturday that his party has so far fielded three candidates in the upcoming Rajasthan Assembly polls and more names will be announced in consultation with its state leadership. The Lok Sabha MP from Hyderabad said the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has entered the poll fray in Rajasthan for the first time. It has fielded candidates from the Hawa Mahal constituency in Jaipur, Fatehpur in Sikar, and Kaman in Bharatpur for the November 25 polls.

Owaisi's Strategy for Rajasthan Polls

Addressing a press conference in Jaipur, Owaisi said, "The party has fielded three candidates in the upcoming Assembly election and more names will be announced in consultation with the state leadership. The party is contesting the Rajasthan Assembly polls for the first time and we will try our best to ensure that our candidates perform well."

He said public meetings of the AIMIM candidates are scheduled in Fatehpur on Saturday and in Jaipur on Sunday. On his party's strategy in the polls, Owaisi said they will go to people highlighting that the Congress has failed to provide governance to them and remained busy in infighting as well as the BJP's communalism and pro-majority behavior in the country.

AIMIM Not Part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance

Asked about not being made a part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) that has been formed by opposition parties to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unitedly in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, he said it does not lower the significance of the AIMIM and they will continue to do their work.

"This INDIA is an elite club of the chieftains of secularism. Big people sit in this club. People like us are not needed in it and we are also not interested to be a part of it. We will do our work," Owaisi said.

Owaisi Attacks Congress and BJP

Asked about Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's assertion that the Congress is going to retain power in Rajasthan, he said the grand old party and its leaders say a lot of things. "In the last Lok Sabha election, he (Gehlot) had said they will win all the seats but his son lost the contest. They say a lot of things," Owaisi said.

Later, while addressing a public meeting in Bhinchri of Fatehpur town in Sikar district, Owaisi said, "Today, the BJP is in power because of Ashok Gehlot and Rahul Gandhi. Narendra Modi could become the Prime Minister of the country twice not because of you and me. The BJP gets success because of their (Congress) uselessness, double standards in policies, and false promises."

He said the Congress terms the AIMIM a B team of the BJP, whereas the BJP says they are terrorists and anti-national.

The AIMIM's entry into the Rajasthan Assembly polls has added a new dimension to the electoral battle in the state. With its focus on Muslim voters, the party could play a crucial role in deciding the outcome of the elections in some constituencies. It will be interesting to see how the AIMIM fares in its first electoral outing in Rajasthan.