The All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), led by Asaduddin Owaisi, announced on Tuesday its decision to field candidates in Bharuch and Gandhinagar in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. This marks the party’s maiden foray into Gujarat’s parliamentary elections.
The decision comes on the heels of the party’s successful performance in the 2021 civic body polls in Godhra, Modassa, Ahmedabad and Bharuch. AIMIM Gujarat chief and former MLA Sabir Kabliwala stated that the party is in discussions with local leaders and expects to announce its candidates in April.
Gandhinagar, currently held by Union Minister Amit Shah, is one of the two seats that AIMIM is contesting. The BJP has once again fielded Shah, aiming to retain the constituency for another term.
Kabliwala, speaking to the media on Tuesday, said, “The central party leadership has decided to contest two Lok Sabha seats from Gujarat. Whether or not we win, we are here to work for the people. So making our presence felt is also important… We are also making huge preparations for the upcoming civic body polls in 2026.”
Both Bharuch and Gandhinagar have a significant Muslim population, and AIMIM is keen on connecting with voters on the ground. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Bharuch was won by BJP’s six-term MP Mansukh Vasava with 55.54 per cent of the vote share, while Amit Shah bagged 69.7 per cent of votes in Gandhinagar.
This year, the BJP has once again fielded Mansukh Vasava from Bharuch to compete against the INDIA bloc candidate, Dediapada MLA Chaitar Vasava, who is also the AAP Gujarat working president.
“We are very hopeful about Bharuch because the Congress has passed on its traditional seat to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP, its INDIA bloc ally) and it leaves a lot of room for a candidate from AIMIM, who will attract the minority votes. We will announce candidates after Ramzan,” Kabliwala added.
In its maiden Gujarat polls in 2021, AIMIM won 13 seats in Godhra municipality and formed a board. The party also won nine seats in Modasa municipality, seven in Ahmedabad and two in Bharuch. However, four councillors from Godhra and one from Modassa later defected to other parties. The party had also contested 14 seats in the state polls in 2022.
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