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Humayun Kabir News: AIMIM’s Imran Solanki expressed his desire for an alliance with Humayun Kabir in the West Bengal elections, while national spokesperson Syed Asim Waqar had denied it. The more flexible stance of the West Bengal unit shows that the electoral equations are playing out differently at the ground level, especially in the minority-dominated districts of Murshidabad and Malda.
Kolkata. Just days after Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM’s central leadership described Humayun Kabir as ‘politically irrelevant’, the party’s West Bengal unit on Friday expressed its desire to forge an alliance with the suspended Trinamool MLA in the upcoming assembly elections. AIMIM state president Imran Solanki said that talks are going on with Kabir, who has emerged as a big leader who has vocally raised the voice of minorities after creating a political uproar by laying the foundation stone of Babri Masjid style mosque in Murshidabad on December 6.
Solanki said that he has already talked to Kabir. He said that both the parties are exploring the possibility of coordination on ‘some seats’ in next year’s assembly elections. He told PTI, “Due to the strong hold of Asaduddin Owaisi at the national level, Humayun Kabir is keen to form an alliance with AIMIM. We are also interested in exploring the possibility of alliance on some selected seats.” He said that the final decision will be taken by the Hyderabad MP.
Solanki’s statement, which came four days after AIMIM national spokesperson Syed Asim Waqar denied any alliance with Kabir, has added further confusion to the already volatile electoral scenario of West Bengal. In a statement on December 8, Waqar had highlighted the party’s apparent distance from Kabir and termed his attempts to get closer as ‘politically dubious and ideologically incoherent’. He had argued that Kabir is widely believed to be associated with BJP leader Subhendu Adhikari and indirectly with the party’s central leadership.
Asked about this apparent contradiction, Solanki said, “Yes, we know what Waqar had said, but this is not the official stand of the party as of now.” Waqar did not respond to phone calls when contacted by PTI on Friday. The West Bengal unit’s more flexible stance shows that electoral equations are playing out differently at the ground level, especially in the minority-dominated districts of Murshidabad and Malda, where both Kabir and AIMIM believe they can make a dent in the ruling Trinamool Congress base.
