'Willing to join Mahagathbandhan', AIMIM chief Owaisi during 'Seemanchal Nyay Yatra' in Bihar

Kishanganj, Sep 24 (IANS) All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday launched his party's campaign for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections with the 'Seemanchal Nyay Yatra' and expressed readiness to join the Mahagathbandhan alliance and demanded to contest on six seats.

Speaking to reporters in Kishanganj, where the yatra was flagged off, Owaisi said AIMIM had already approached the Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav with its proposal.

"The party's state president, Akhtarul Iman, has written a letter to the leader of the opposition here. We have made it clear through the media that the AIMIM party is ready for the alliance. Akhtarul Iman also demanded in his last letter that he give us six seats," Owaisi said.

"Now this decision has to be taken by the alliance; if they do not do this, then the people of Bihar will see who wants to make the BJP successful and who wants to stop it. The decision is with the people of Bihar. We have fulfilled our responsibility. Tomorrow, no one should say to us that we did not talk. We tried our best and put this matter before the people," he added.

On Tejashwi Yadav's assurance of providing jobs to youth with degrees, Owaisi stated, "First, he should study what the school dropout rate is in Bihar. How many people graduate? He should decide on that basis. If there should be degrees, then the records of the previous governments should also be revealed as to how many schools and colleges were opened."

During the yatra, Owaisi is set to hold roadshows and address corner meetings in different constituencies of the Seemanchal region. For over a decade, the AIMIM chief has been highlighting the backwardness of the area.

He even introduced a Private Member's Bill in the Lok Sabha demanding the establishment of a Seemanchal Region Development Council to address the region's developmental concerns.

In the 2020 Bihar Assembly polls, AIMIM contested 19 constituencies and secured victories in five seats -- Amour, Kochadaman, Baisi, Jokihat, and Bahadurganj. However, four of its MLAs switched to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in 2022.

This time, the party has indicated that it is likely to contest more seats than it did previously, with signals that several influential leaders and social workers are keen to fight elections on AIMIM tickets.

--IANS

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