AIMIM’s season of discontent: Momentum lost, why the party is struggling in Maharashtra

Notably, a database issued by salient cleric Sajjad Nomani of candidates whom the Muslim assemblage should ballot for had nary spot for Jaleel.

The struggles of the AIMIM are possibly champion embodied by Jaleel, its authorities president. He is present embroiled successful 1 of his toughest governmental battles yet, having shifted to Aurangabad East wherever helium faces a formidable situation from the BJP’s Atul Save. To adhd to his woes, Jaleel is up against erstwhile state Gaffar Quadri, the ex-working president of the AIMIM who precocious near the enactment and is present moving arsenic a campaigner for the Samajwadi Party (SP).

Challenges successful Aurangabad East

At 56, Jaleel, an MBA postgraduate and erstwhile journalist, has experienced a meteoric emergence successful authorities politics. After his triumph successful 2014, helium made past successful 2019 by becoming the archetypal Muslim MP from Aurangabad successful implicit 4 decades. As the AIMIM authorities president, Jaleel has earned the spot and receptor of enactment main Asaduddin Owaisi.

But helium mislaid the Lok Sabha elections this twelvemonth and attempting a comeback successful the Assembly polls. His strategical determination to displacement to Aurangabad East, wherever Muslims represent 37% of the electorate, whitethorn look similar a calculated determination but has sparked discontent wrong the party’s ranks. Quadri, a two-time campaigner from Aurangabad East successful 2014 and 2019, is present successful unfastened rebellion, accusing Jaleel and Owaisi of sidelining him. Quadri has alleged that Jaleel is acting arsenic a “slave” to BJP person and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and helping the BJP disagreement the Muslim vote.

Unlike the AIMIM, which is often associated with a Muslim-first agenda, Jaleel has managed to physique a broader conjugation beyond the number assemblage based connected his idiosyncratic charisma and governmental goodwill. However, the governmental scenery successful Aurangabad East has shifted dramatically. The BJP is throwing its afloat value down Save, a adjacent subordinate of Fadnavis portion Jaleel faces dissent.

Jaleel himself has dismissed immoderate rumours of a BJP “alliance”, saying, “To decision me, a ample fig of Muslim candidates person been enactment up. Everyone knows who is backing them, who wants our votes divided, and who is down this conspiracy. The BJP has funded these men lone to guarantee that the Muslim ballot gets divided.” He remains optimistic that the Muslim-Maratha consolidation could transportation him through.

Local activists, however, are much sceptical. “He is venerated by galore successful Aurangabad and helium has reached retired to (quota activist) Manoj Jarange-Patil successful the anticipation of securing Maratha support. But with the BJP’s monolithic polarisation run and the dissent from his erstwhile associate, this predetermination is going to beryllium a pugnacious upland for Jaleel to climb,” said Sadiq Biyabani, a local.

Growing challenges for AIMIM

The AIMIM made a melodramatic introduction into Maharashtra authorities successful 2014 by securing Byculla and Aurangabad Central. However, maintaining its foothold has proven difficult. In the 2019 elections, the enactment mislaid some seats by important margins, though it did negociate to triumph Malegaon Central, mostly owed to the power of high-profile defectors, including Mufti Ismail, and an unexpected triumph by Faruk Shah successful Dhule.

But the party’s fortunes person since waned. Ismail’s hospitalisation aft a bosom onslaught earlier this week, coupled with Shah facing beardown contention for the Muslim ballot from the SP, has made retaining these seats progressively challenging. Additionally, the beingness of formidable candidates from some the BJP and Shiv Sena (UBT) has further analyzable the situation.

Although the AIMIM has fielded 16 candidates crossed the state, the party’s interior turmoil and weakened organisational operation person near it struggling to support its momentum. Frequent flip-flops connected campaigner enactment person besides raised questions astir interior cohesion. Former Mumbai portion president Faiyyaz Ahmed resigned aft being denied a ticket, lone to beryllium reinstated arsenic a campaigner nether unit from Telangana MLA and Owaisi’s member Akbaruddin.

There is besides increasing disillusionment wrong the number assemblage astir the AIMIM’s governmental strategy, with immoderate perceiving its actions arsenic inadvertently aiding the BJP. This sentiment was reflected successful Nomani’s database that named lone Ismail successful Malegaon and Farooq Shabdi successful Solapur City Central arsenic worthy of support. There is interest that the AIMIM’s provocative rhetoric deepens communal divides, making it hard for it to pull capable Hindu voters to triumph elections. In specified a scenario, voting for the AIMIM is seen arsenic a wasted vote.