New Delhi: With the Janata Dal (Secular) yet to reveal its cards on a pre-poll alliance, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is like to field around 40 candidates in the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi will meet his party’s Karnataka unit on Thursday morning to finalise the election strategy.
"We have not yet heard from the JD(S), which had told us to wait till Rajya Sabha elections. We are considering fielding around 40 candidates,” an AIMIM leader told News18.
A JD(S) leader who is part of the negotiations said his party leader and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda had spoken to Owaisi during a chance encounter in Parliament, but an electoral tie-up was not discussed.
The JD(S) has already struck an alliance with the BSP and is reportedly in talks with AIMIM to stitch an umbrella coalition of Muslims, Dalits and Vokkaligas. This combination would directly impinge on Congress’ core constituency. Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had launched a blistering attack on the JD(S) last week in an attempt to consolidate its traditional vote-bank, which Gowda’s party is eyeing this election.
A Hyderabad-based party, the AIMIM has in the last five years tried to expand its area of influence outside Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. It had even won a couple of seats in Maharashtra Assembly elections. The party has been trying to build its base in seats with large Muslim population, including some in Hyderabad-Karnataka region, contiguous to Andhra and Telangana, which was part of the erstwhile Nizam State.
Karnataka will go to polls on May 12 and the counting of votes will be held on May 15.
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