The Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) party, which is seeking to form a coalition with the Maha Vikas Aghadi ahead of the Maharashtra assembly polls, might face a significant setback as the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), one of the major constituents of the coalition, has opposed its inclusion.
According to information received, the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction, while expressing disapproval of AIMIM's inclusion in the coalition, mentioned that the Maha Vikas Aghadi already includes several parties, such as Congress, the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), Shiv Sena (UBT), the Samajwadi Party, Communist Party, Shetkari Kamgar Paksha, and the Republican Organization. Therefore, under the current circumstances, there is no place for a new party, they added.
It is important to note that Asaduddin Owaisi's party has submitted a written proposal to Congress and the NCP (SP) to form an alliance. However, no formal decision has yet been announced by Congress and the NCP (SP) regarding this. Sources revealed that the proposal has neither been accepted nor rejected; however, the AIMIM could face a major setback if consensus among the Maha Vikas Aghadi parties is not reached regarding its inclusion.
Additionally, amid ongoing talks about a possible alliance, the AIMIM has submitted a list of 28 seats to the Maha Vikas Aghadi, from which it is seeking to contest the elections. The party stated that all of these 28 seats are in Muslim-dominated areas, or where Muslim voters play a decisive role. However, if an alliance is formed, the AIMIM is also prepared to leave some seats for the allies, the party added.
Significantly, the list of constituencies from which the AIMIM is seeking to contest the assembly polls in Maharashtra includes Dharavi, Byculla, Mumba Devi, Versova, Andheri West, Chandivali, Mankhurd, Anushakti Nagar, Kurla, Kalina, Bandra East, Bandra West, Bhiwandi West, Bhiwandi East, Mumbra-Kalwa, Dhule, Malegaon Central, Pune Cantonment, Solapur Central, Akola, Balapur, Akola West, Washim, Amravati, Nanded North, Nanded Central, Aurangabad Central, and Aurangabad East.
