Owaisi fielding 25 candidates a reason to worry for Cong

Prominent Muslim leader Asaduddin Owaisi has announced that his party All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) will be contesting in about 25 constituencies in Karnataka during the coming Assembly elections. He has also said that the party is open for an alliance with JDS.

"We will definitely contest the elections. So far, we have announced three candidates. We are open for alliance. Whether we will have an alliance or not, we will have to wait," PTI quoted Owaisi as saying.

AIMIM State unit chief Usman Ghani Humnabad revealed that the party is in talks with Janata Dal-Secular (JDS) for an alliance but the Gowdas are yet to respond to the offer. It has to be noted that the AIMIM had extended support to the JDS in 2018 polls and did not field its candidates.

Owaisi has also revealed that the party is not looking at an alliance with Congress. "Congress does not want to have an alliance (with us) as they make wild and baseless allegations against me. So, we will see," he said.

A cause of worry for Congress?

The rise of AIMIM has come at the cost of Congress in some places and it was evident in the key municipal corporations of North Karnataka elections held earlier. In 2021, it made its presence felt in civic polls in Hubballi-Dharwad, Belagavi and Kalaburagi by winning three seats in Hubballi and one in Belagavi.

Owaisi had just appeared once for the campaign during the said elections and managed to win three seats. His party contested in 12 wards and ended up either second or third place in seven wards. Notably, they had secured an average of over 1,000 votes and in two wards, the party in the arena helped a few Independents win. This had taken a toll on the Congress.

Muslims make up for 16 per cent of the State's population, but have just seven legislators from the community in the 224-member Assembly. They form over 30 per cent of the electorate in at least 19 constituencies. Hence, the community cannot be ignored.

With the BJP doing away with the 4 per cent quota for Muslims under Category 2B in the OBC list, the community is looking for a strong voice to take on the saffron party. And if the AIMIM gets into an alliance with JDS and fields right candidates, the party will definitely give Congress a run for its money in at least 25 seats. Hence, it is a big reason for Congress to worry.