People of Bengal suffocated, will provide an alternative: Owaisi on alliance with Humayun's JUP

All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday spoke about his party's strategic goals for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections, emphasising that the primary aim of the alliance with Humayun Kabir's Janata Unnayan Party (JUP) is to foster and strengthen independent political leadership for the Muslim minority in the state. While addressing a press conference here, Owaisi laid out the alliance's broader vision, saying, "Our attempt is that a leadership from the Muslim minority emerges and strengthens in this election in West Bengal. We have decided the number of seats we will contest. This alliance is not limited to just this election, but it will be taken forward to achieve our political objective." The AIMIM chief added that there are only two or three assembly seats remaining for final discussion. "There are only two or three seats left for the final discussion, which isn't a major issue. Our primary goal in these elections is to build and strengthen independent political leadership for the Muslim minority in this state," he remarked. Owaisi further elaborated on the importance of independent political representation, pointing to the state government's data that indicates poor social, economic, and human development in regions where Muslim communities lack leadership.

He stated, "I believe, and government data from West Bengal, the Government of India, and NSSO confirms, that regions where the Muslim minority lacks independent political leadership have very poor social, economic, and human development indicators. There is an organic connection between development and independent leadership." Owaisi also highlighted his upcoming visit to support Humayun Kabir, stating, "As Humayun Kabir Sahab mentioned, I will be visiting on April 1 for his nomination filing in his constituency. We will also hold a large public meeting there and distribute B-forms to our candidates." Expressing his gratitude toward Kabir for joining alliances with AIMIM, Owaisi said, "I thank Humayun Kabir Sahab for joining this alliance with us." Earlier, Humayun Kabir reaffirmed the strength of his political alliance with Owaisi, describing the AIMIM chief as his "elder brother" and emphasising the strategic partnership that will guide their campaign. Kabir also detailed the joint campaign schedule, which includes a series of 20 rallies across West Bengal. The first rally will be held on April 1st in Behrampur, where both Kabir and Owaisi will address a massive crowd. The rallies are planned to take place across key constituencies, including Murshidabad, North Bengal, Malda, Birbhum, Uttar Dinajpur, Asansol, and finally, Kolkata. Kabir also made it clear that the alliance was not just for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections but would extend to future campaigns as well.

"As long as I am alive and in politics, the journey we started together in 2026 will continue," he added. On Sunday, Owaisi announced that AIMIM will contest the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections in alliance with Humayun Kabir's party. Humayun Kabir said that his party will contest 182 seats in the upcoming 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, out of which they will hand over about eight seats to AIMIM. The West Bengal Assembly elections will be conducted in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with the counting of votes scheduled for May 4.