AIMIM Declares 32 Bihar Candidates, Challenges INDIA Bloc Ahead of 2025 Polls

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has unveiled a list of 32 candidates for the 2025 Bihar assembly elections, signaling the potential formation of a third front that could disrupt the Opposition’s INDIA bloc. AIMIM Bihar chief Akhtarul Iman announced that the party will contest in constituencies such as Kishanganj, Purnea, Katihar, Araria, Gaya, Motihari, Nawada, Jamui, Bhagalpur, Siwan, Darbhanga, Samastipur, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Vaishali, and Gopalganj—many of which are currently held by INDIA bloc members.

Iman emphasized that AIMIM sought to avoid splitting secular votes and unite against communal forces, but claimed the larger coalition partners ignored their outreach. “We had no choice but to form a third front,” he said, noting that the party plans to contest 100 seats in total, with more candidate names to be revealed soon.

Reflecting on the 2020 elections, Iman recalled accusations that AIMIM’s participation fragmented secular votes. The party had contested 20 seats, securing five, but four of its MLAs later defected to the RJD, leaving Iman as its sole representative in the Bihar assembly. AIMIM had previously allied with Mayawati’s BSP and Upendra Kushwaha’s RLSP in 2020, impacting several Opposition constituencies. Kushwaha, now with the BJP-JD(U)-led NDA, leads the Rashtriya Lok Morcha, which has been allocated six seats for 2025.

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Iman also revealed that AIMIM reached out to RJD leaders Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Prasad Yadav for an alliance ahead of 2025 but received no response. With Muslims constituting nearly 18% of Bihar’s population of over 13 crore, AIMIM’s strategic move could reshape the electoral landscape.

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