LUCKNOW: The All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) will contest at least 100 seats with dominant Muslim population in the assembly elections next year.
The party has already identified these seats, which are in the western, central and eastern region of the state.
“We have only one agenda which is development of Muslims, but that does not mean we are averse to others.
We have started screening candidates and we want good candidates, not necessarily only Muslims,” said state party president Shaukat Ali.
In recently held zila panchayat election, the party had fielded at least 59 non-Muslim candidates.
“We are not the BJP that ignores Muslims completely,” he said.
The UP unit of AIMIM is almost done with its ground work to raise a strong organization in the state at the booth level.
Ali said that in the coming four days he would take up the review of every Vidhan Sabha constituency to plug holes, if any, in the organizational structure.
This is the second assembly election that AIMIM would contest in the state.
On the other hand, the party has also invited applications from candidates.
“We have sought details about the background.
We do not want to field those who do not have a clean past and image,” said Ali.
In 2017, the party had contested 32 seats on its own.
Though the AIMIM had cornered about 0.2% votes, it remained runner-up in Sambhal and in at least three constituencies the party polled considerable votes to end up at the third spot.
What has really spirited up the party workers in UP, this time is its good show in the panchayat election.
The party supported candidates won at least 24 seats and ended up as runners-up at over 50.
Second, the party’s good performance in Bihar assembly elections last year has also boosted the workers’ morale.
The AIMIM has been active in UP since 2014.
“We want to check BJP from coming to power.
But, at the same time, we are upset with the parties which we thought were our own parties and would work for us.
We are fighting for ‘daavedaari’ not ‘hissedaari’,” he said.
As of now, the party’s alliance with Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha led by SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar is continuing in UP.
“Akhilesh Yadavji has said that he would have an alliance with smaller parties.
But the parties that he has named are lesser known and some of them like RLD have got its presence reduced to only five districts in the state.
Any alliance to stop the BJP is not complete without us,” said Ali.