New Delhi, Jul 4 (PTI) Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha has urged the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) to refrain from participating in the upcoming Bihar elections and instead offer "in-principle" support to the opposition coalition known as the "Mahagatbandhan".
In the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, AIMIM secured five seats; however, four of those legislators transitioned to the RJD within two years. Akhtarul Iman, the president of AIMIM's Bihar unit and the party’s lone MLA in the state, recently reached out to RJD chief Lalu Prasad, formally requesting the party's inclusion in the grand alliance. The Assembly elections in Bihar are scheduled for later this year.
Despite Iman's request, Jha expressed that AIMIM should lend "in-principle" support to the RJD and refrain from contesting in the elections. "For everyone who is fighting against the right-wing dictatorship and politics of hatred, certain historical moments call for strengthening the stream that stands as the primary opponent," he mentioned in an interview with PTI Videos.
Jha further elaborated, "Under Tejashwi Yadav’s leadership, the Mahagatbandhan has clearly opposed the politics of hatred. It would be beneficial if AIMIM stayed away from the elections, extending in-principle support and hoping for an end to the politics of hatred in Bihar."
In his letter to Lalu Prasad dated July 2, shared by party leaders on social media, Iman stated that AIMIM's inclusion in Bihar's version of the INDIA opposition bloc would "prevent a split in secular votes." In the 2020 Bihar polls, AIMIM had formed an alliance with former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the now-disbanded Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP), which was led by former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha, who is currently with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
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