Maharashtra: Owaisi's AIMIM, Ambedkar's BBM to merge for 2019 polls
What's the story
The All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) will forge an alliance for the Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly polls in 2019, party leaders announced.
"(BBM chief) Prakash Ambedkar ji will be holding a public rally in Aurangabad on October 2 in which I too will be present. The alliance's formal structure will be announced later," AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said.
Information
Alliance formed to give political representation to Dalits, Muslims, OBCs
Owaisi said that preliminary talks held between both parties have yielded positive results. Imtiyaz Jaleel, AIMIM MLA from Aurangabad, said the idea behind the alliance was that Dalits, Muslims, and OBCs have been ignored for 70 years and have no proper representation in politics.
Details
Everybody wants the Muslims' votes, but won't represent them: Jaleel
"It is a shame on all so-called secular parties that there is no representation from the Muslim community in Parliament from Maharashtra. Everybody wants their votes but does not want to give them representation. Similar is the case for Dalits," Jaleel said.
He added that once both parties come together, they would be a force to reckon with.
Ignored groups
All groups that have been ignored will come together: BBM
Jaleel had called on Ambedkar at the latter's home in Pune to hold preliminary talks.
Haribhau Bhale, former MLA and BBM leader, said Dalits, Muslims, and OBCs are upset with mainstream parties.
"There's a growing pressure to form an alternative. Thus, all groups that have been ignored will come together. What shape the alliance will take will be decided by party leaders," Bhale said.