The Uttar Pradesh Assembly election results showed that the huge crowds at AIMIM supremo Asaduddin Owaisi’s public meetings did not convert into votes.
Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) which was trying to further expand his party after winning few seats in Maharashtra and Bihar, failed to open its account in Uttar Pradesh Assembly election this time.
The party contested 97 seats and a majority of its candidates lost their deposit, not even managing to cross the 5,000-vote mark in many seats.
However, AIMIM’s vote share increased from 0.2 percent in 2017 when it contested only 38 seats to over 0.4 percent now.
Political analysts say Muslims, for whom he was speaking, voted in large numbers for the Samajwadi Party.
Owaisi was a part of the Bhagidari Parivartan Morcha combine that could not win a single seat in the state. Apart from the AIMIM, the Bhagidari Parivartan Morcha included the Jan Adhikari Party led by Babu Singh Kushwaha, the Bharat Mukti Morcha led by Vaman Meshram, the Janata Kranti Party led by Anil Singh Chauhan and the Bhartiya Vanchit Samaj Party led by Ram Prasad Kashyap.
On the result day, Owaisi said he will respect the mandate given by the people of Uttar Pradesh but attributed the performance of the Hindu nationalist BJP to “victory of 80:20,” in an obvious reference to communal polarisation of Hindu and Muslim votes.
“All those parties trying to blame it on the alleged tampering of EVMs should realise that the victory of BJP is due to the chip they have planted in the brains of the majority community. That is why I say it is Assi-Bees (80:20) victory and this trend is going to continue for a long time in the country,” Owaisi told reporters.
“The minorities of Uttar Pradesh have been used as vote banks only… the BJP won in Lakhimpur Kheri as well, that’s why I’m saying it’s an 80-20 win; this 80-20 situation will stay for years. People need to understand that… Our spirits are still high,” he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
He went on to say: “We will continue to work harder and convince Muslims and Dalits that they need a political leadership of their own. AIMIM will contest Lok Sabha polls too in Uttar Pradesh in 2024, ensuing Assembly elections of Gujarat and Rajasthan. We will also contest municipal elections of UP in December later this year and Delhi civic body polls in April.”
Mayawati, Owaisi helped BJP win: Shiv Sena
A day after the BJP’s record win in Uttar Pradesh, Shiv Sena leader and MP Sanjay Raut took a swipe at Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mayawati and Asaduddin Owaisi, saying they should be awarded a Padma Vibhushan or Bharat Ratna for their “contribution” in BJP’s victory.
“BJP achieved a great victory. UP was their state, still, Akhilesh Yadav’s seats have increased 3 times, from 42 to over 125. Mayawati and Owaisi have contributed to BJP’s win, so they must be given Padma Vibhushan, Bharat Ratna,” Raut was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
