The All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) on Tuesday said that it would contest the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections from all the seats "with full force". AIMIM spokesperson Imran Solanki said at a press conference in Kolkata that Muslim population in the state is more than 40 per cent.
The party has fought elections on a few seats in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Delhi.
"In Bengal, we will fight from all the seats. In the last panchayat elections, the AIMIM received 60,000 votes in Malda, 25,000 in Murshidabad, and from 15,000-18,000 in other areas," Solanki said.
He further said that the party would focus on the issues related to Muslims, Dalits, and tribals in the state. The press conference was reportedly held at the instructions of Hyderabad MP and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi.
When questioned about allegations of exploitation of Muslim votes in West Bengal, the AIMIM spokesperson explained that the stretch from Calcutta High Court to Fort William is Waqf property, which the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) takes advantage of.
He also had a demand from the TMC government here. "If the government wants Muslim votes, they should share the accounts of the Waqf Board with us."
He attacked not only the BJP but also the TMC over the current situation of Bengal. He noted that the TMC and the BJP are "two sides of the same coin" since they come to power using Muslim votes but do nothing for the community.
Solanki even mentioned that there is not a single university in Murshidabad, a district with huge Muslim population. He even alleged that the Mamata government doesn't act against Suvendu Adhikari.
"Look at the increasing number of RSS offices opening right under the nose of the TMC government. BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari is Mamata Banerjee’s product only. Just see how no case is registered against him despite his use of foul language, even as our people are framed in one case after another.”
He even said that new census would reveal that the Muslim population in West Bengal has crossed 40 per cent.
“They come to power using Muslim votes, but they don’t do anything for us. We believe that it is because of the 90% Muslim vote that the TMC is able to form the government here."