AIMIM Starts Talks To Form Third Front In Bihar

NEW DELHI, Hyderabad: After being rebuffed by the Mahagathbandhan, Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has begun talks with like-minded parties to form a “Third Front” for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. This move could split minority votes, potentially affecting both Congress and RJD’s electoral prospects.

AIMIM Bihar chief Akhtarul Imam told this newspaper on Monday that discussions with several regional leaders and parties are at an advanced stage, after the grand alliance failed to respond to AIMIM’s overtures. He declined to name the parties involved, saying negotiations are ongoing.

Imam added that AIMIM aims to help defeat the Nitish Kumar–led NDA government, which it accuses of misrule over the past two decades. “The Mahagathbandhan’s lackluster response will ultimately hurt Bihar’s people, who continue to suffer under the current dispensation,” he said.

When contacted, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said the Bihar unit president is the right person to address these developments.

When pressed to comment as national president on Akhtarul Imam’s proposal to form a third front, Owaisi reiterated that the Bihar party unit is fully empowered to make decisions and speak on all election-related matters.

Political commentators in Bihar note that, although the AIMIM is unlikely to emerge as a major power bloc, its ability to split votes, especially in Muslim-majority constituencies, poses a serious challenge to the Mahagathbandhan’s efforts to consolidate the anti-NDA vote. AIMIM had initially approached Mahagathbandhan Coordination Committee chairman Tejashwi Yadav and senior Congress leaders earlier this month, seeking to join the alliance and consolidate minority votes for the I.N.D.I.A. bloc.

The AIMIM commands influence among Muslim voters, particularly in Seemanchal and other minority-dominated regions. A Third Front could divide the Muslim vote, traditionally the stronghold of the RJD-Congress combine, weakening the Mahagathbandhan’s core support base. Observers also point out that RJD felt the impact of this split in the last assembly elections.

In closely contested seats, a divided opposition directly benefits the NDA and could allow the JD(U) to win even with a lower vote share. In districts like Kishanganj, Araria, Katihar, and Purnia, where Muslim voters are concentrated, AIMIM could act as a spoiler, even if it wins few seats.

In 2020, AIMIM contested 20 seats in Bihar and won five, polling 523,279 votes (1.24%). However, later that year four of its MLAs defected to the RJD. “Despite RJD’s betrayal by absorbing our MLAs, we have again approached them to prevent division of secular votes in the upcoming election. If they truly uphold the Indian Constitution and secular ideology, they should accept our proposal,” Imam said.

Many believe AIMIM’s performance in 2020 was a key factor in RJD’s failure to form the government, as it significantly dented Tejashwi Yadav’s prospects in the Muslim-dominated Seemanchal region.