Owaisi announces alliance for Bengal polls: AIMIM to contest with Humayun Kabir’s AJU party

NEW DELHI: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday announced that the party will contest the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections in alliance with Humayun Kabir’s Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP).Announcing the tie-up, Owaisi said, "AIMIM has decided to form an alliance with Janata Unnayan Party for the West Bengal elections. We want to strengthen the AIMIM and ensure that our candidates in every corner of the country, succeed, and raise the voice of the poor and oppressed in the assembly... In West Bengal, 5 lakh backward category certificates have been cancelled, majority of which belong to Muslims. There are many stories of oppression as well. They secure votes in the name of secularism but when the Majlis advocates for share and representation, they don't like it..."He also said, "I will hold a press conference in Kolkata with Humayun Kabir on March 25." Kabir, a former TMC leader and founder of AJUP, had earlier said his party would contest 182 seats in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. "I had already announced 15 candidates earlier. Now, Humayun Kabir will contest from Raninagar; he is also doing an additional job. Then, another businessman named Humayun Kabir will contest from Bhagwangola. Also, Manisha Pathak Pandey will contest from the 64-Murshidabad seat. So, with the 15 announced earlier and these three now, we have opened a list of 18 candidates today," he said.He added, "My party, along with the alliance we are in, will contest in 182 seats. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) will be a partner and will contest in approximately 8 of those seats."The West Bengal Assembly elections will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, 2026, with counting scheduled for May 4, according to the Election Commission of India. The first phase will cover 152 constituencies, while the second phase will cover 142 seats.West Bengal has a total of 294 Assembly seats and over 6.45 crore electors, including more than 5.23 lakh first-time voters aged 18 to 19 years.The main contest is expected between the ruling Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.In the 2021 Assembly elections, the Trinamool Congress retained power with a decisive victory, while the Congress and Left Front failed to win any seats.