Mumbai: As the aid of independents and smaller parties has assumed great significance, the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has hinted at giving support to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government for the Rajya Sabha polls in Maharashtra.
“If they want our support, they should contact us,” said AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi in Nanded on Tuesday.
The Hyderabad-based party has two members in the 288-member Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha, which will elect the six members of Rajya Sabha on June 10.
For the six Rajya Sabha seats, BJP has fielded three candidates, NCP and Congress one each and Shiv Sena two. As there are seven candidates in fray for the elections, the support of independents and small parties has become decisive in the polls.
In the 288-member Assembly, MVA partners — Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress – have 55, 53, and 44 legislators respectively. The BJP has a maximum of 106 MLAs, while AIMIM and Samajwadi Party have two MLAs each.
Based on their current strength in the Assembly, Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress are confident of winning one seat each whereas BJP is poised to win two seats. However, the saffron party has claimed that it will bag three seats in the Upper House from Maharashtra.
The AIMIM held a meeting in Nanded on Monday, but the party could not decide on its support to the MVA or the BJP. “Let Maha Vikas Aghadi ask us openly for support if they really want BJP to be defeated. But no one from the MVA has contacted us or our MLAs in Maharashtra. If they want our support, they should contact us,” said Owaisi on Tuesday.
“If they don't want our support, it is ok. We are talking to our MLAs. We will take a decision in a day or two,” he added.
Party’s Aurangabad MP Imtiaz Jaleel said that his party would also discuss certain issues related to constituencies of AIMIM MLAs and seek solution from the MVA government. “We will keep those issues before the government also. If the MVA wants to defeat the BJP, they should openly seek support of the AIMIM,” he said.
However, the MVA government may find itself in quandary over the decision to take AIMIM’s support due to the recent controversy over Aurangazeb’s tomb. Last month, Akabaruddin Owaisi had visited the tomb in Khultabad. The visit had evoked a sharp reaction with the Sena calling it an insult to Maharashtra.
