West Bengal Elections 2021: AIMM exposed after Bihar polls says Mamata
Kolkata, Jan 22: West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said Asaduddin Owaisi''s AIMIM would not be a factor in the upcoming assembly polls in the state as its role as "B team of the BJP" has been exposed in the Bihar elections.
During a core committee meeting of Murshidabad, a Muslim-dominated district, Banerjee urged party leaders to put up a united fight against the BJP and the other divisive forces.
"During the core committee meeting, Mamata di assured us that AIMIM would not be a factor in Murshidabad district. She told us that Owaisi''s party was exposed after the Bihar polls," a local TMC leader said.
Two groups clash inside BJP party office in Bengal
Murshidabad district comprises 22 assembly seats.
In the recently concluded Bihar elections, the AIMIM won five seats in the Muslims-dominated Seemanchal region on the border of West Bengal.
Earlier this month, Owaisi had met Pirzada Abbas Siddiqui of Hooghly district''s Furfura Sharif to discuss the seat-sharing arrangement.
The
AIMIM
chief
has
already
expressed
his
desire
to
fight
the
upcoming
assembly
elections
in
the
state.
The
TMC
had
dubbed
the
AIMIM''s
entry
in
the
state
as
an
attempt
to
split
the
Muslim
votes
in
the
state
and
help
the
BJP.
The AIMIM has termed the allegation as "baseless" and "motivated".
A deciding factor in nearly 100-110 seats in the state, Muslims, who constitute 30 per cent of the population, till 2019, have acted as a bulwark of the TMC against its rivals, with most of them voting in favour of the party, considering it to be a "credible" force that can resist the saffron surge.
Recommended Video
In a development that might upset several political equations in election-bound state, Siddiqui on Thursday floated a new political outfit, contending that he wishes to be the kingmaker after the polls.
The influential Muslim cleric said his new outfit -- Indian Secular Front (ISF) - plans to contest the elections from all 294 assembly seats in the state.
Elections to the Bengal assembly are likely to be held in April-May.