Mudassir Nazar’s family has traditionally voted for opposition parties defending secularism, but in the recently concluded elections in the eastern Indian state of Bihar, they voted for the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul- party. Muslimeen (AIMIM), who advocates for the rights of Muslims and other marginalized groups.
“Our town [Bohita] Almost unanimously they voted for AIMIM, ”said Nazar from the Muslim-majority Kishanganj district in Bihar’s Seemanchal region.
AIMIM managed to win five seats from the state which has a substantial Muslim population. Its residents say that India’s opposition parties that defend secularism have ignored the impoverished region for decades, which is wedged between Nepal and Bangladesh.
“There is a feeling in the (Muslim) community that secular parties like the (Indian National) Congress have betrayed Muslims,” Nazar told Al Jazeera.
“They (the so-called secular parties) have been reluctant to even talk about the anti-minority decisions of the ruling government, much less oppose them. AIMIM, on the other hand, has been quite vocal and seems to have earned the trust of the community, ”he said.
Indian Muslims, who make up 14 percent of the country’s 1.3 billion people, have become increasingly marginalized in recent years due to poor political representation. Bihar’s new cabinet will not have a Muslim minister for the first time in its history.
Currently, of the 543 members of the lower house of India’s bicameral parliament, only 27 (less than 4 percent) of its members are Muslim, a gain of four seats compared to the 2014 elections, which were the lowest in 40 years.
Hindu nationalist agenda
Since coming to power in 2014, the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as part of its Hindu nationalist agenda, has passed various laws and laws that critics say discriminate against Muslims.
Last year, a controversial citizenship law, which activists say is not in line with the country’s secular constitution and a proposed citizenship registry, sparked protests across the country mainly led by Muslims.
For decades, AIMIM was confined to the southern city of Hyderabad in Telangana state, but in recent years it has managed to venture into Muslim-majority areas, taking advantage of Muslim frustration over political disenfranchisement. [File: Noah Seelam/AFP]
Modi’s government also stripped limited freedoms from the disputed Kashmir region last August and placed the Muslim-majority region under a communications blackout for more than six months.
Opposition parties, such as the Indian National Congress party, for which Muslims have traditionally voted, have been accused of being silent on key issues that threaten the Muslim community, India’s largest minority group.
For decades, AIMIM was confined to the southern city of Hyderabad in Telangana state, but in recent years it has managed to venture into Muslim-majority areas, capitalizing on Muslim frustration over disenfranchisement.
The party is led by Asaduddin Owaisi, a four-time member of parliament known for his spirited debates in parliament and on television. Owaisi has become a vocal conduit for Muslim problems in the country.
AIMIM has accused India’s opposition parties of not speaking out against Modi’s Hindu nationalist agenda.
“These (secular) parties due to various electoral compulsions have not come forward openly to protest against the decisions of the government (of the BJP) that go against the fundamental values of the (Indian) constitution. That has led some sectors of Muslims to turn to AIMIM, as they see it as a counterforce, “Avinash Kumar, assistant professor of political studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, told Al Jazeera.
“When all the so-called secular parties compete to demonstrate that they are bearers of the torch of majoritarianism, while ignoring the condition of marginalized communities, it is a very natural process to see the emergence of a party with [a] focus on the plight of a particular community. “
An appeal at the national level
During the state election campaign in Bihar, the Congress party and its regional ally, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), avoided raising issues that were relevant to Muslims.
“These parties campaigned only on issues such as employment and development, because by accumulating problems of discrimination against minorities, they did not want to give up the votes of the majority,” Majid Alam, a journalist based in Bihar, told Al Jazeera .
During the state election campaign in Bihar, the Congress party and its regional ally, Rashtriya Janata Dal, avoided raising issues that were relevant to Muslims. [File: Bikas Das/AP Photo]
“So a section of Muslim voters decided it was time to fully join a party (AIMIM) that was talking about their problems.”
Some analysts say that AIMIM will emerge as the first Muslim political group in the country’s post-independence history with national appeal, although an overwhelming majority of Muslims still vote for opposition parties.
“We have raised issues of injustices committed against all minorities, including Muslims, and people recognize that. Now it has started to be reflected in our electoral performances, ”Waris Pathan, AIMIM national spokesperson, told Al Jazeera.
The party obtained more than 500,000 votes in the recent elections compared to the 2015 state elections, when it had barely obtained 80,000 votes and did not win a single seat.
Bihar is not an aberration. We have improved our numbers wherever we are contesting. In Maharashtra (elections) last year we substantially increased our share of the vote and also won a couple of seats, ”said Pathan.
However, AIMIM’s main leader and national spokesperson, Syed Asim Waqar, believes that the party is a viable alternative not only for Muslims but for the country as a whole.
“We never represent ourselves as a Muslim party,” Waqar told Al Jazeera. “We have managed to win seats even in areas where the Hindu population is the majority and the Muslim percentage is much lower. It is only possible because the Hindus, particularly the Dalits, are also voting for us. “
In the Bihar state elections, the party joined the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP), which represent various marginalized castes other than Muslims.
Muslim-Dalit Alliance
AIMIM formed an alliance with a Dalit party in Maharashtra in the 2019 general elections and won a parliamentary seat outside its stronghold in Hyderabad for the first time.
Political analysts say AIMIM’s rise has been made possible in large part due to the charisma of Owaisi, who has captured the imagination of young Muslim voters in India.
Last year, a controversial citizenship law, which activists say is not in line with the country’s secular constitution and a proposed citizenship registry, sparked protests across the country mainly led by Muslims. [File: Pawan Kumar/Reuters]
“His appearance, style and language are not comparable to those of any of his contemporaries and that has been a huge factor in the rise of AIMIM,” said Mohammad Reyaz, assistant professor of journalism at Aliah University in the eastern city of Kolkata.
Dressed in a Sherwani, a long traditional robe worn by South Asian Muslims, and sporting a cap, the 51-year-old AIMIM leader can often be seen fiercely debating his opponents on prime-time television news. .
“He (Owaisi) also speaks well in parliament; with a lot of authority and after a thorough investigation. That has also captured the minds of Muslim voters and is obviously now reflected in their electoral numbers, ”said JNU’s Kumar.
But some opposition parties in the country accuse AIMIM of splitting the Muslim vote, thus helping the BJP.
“While the Bharatiya Janata Party polarizes the people of the country along religious lines, AIMIM is also doing the same. (AIMIM) never achieves anything substantial electorally, it only divides Muslim votes, which helps the BJP and its allies to come to power, ”Meem Afzal, national spokesperson for the Indian National Congress party told Al Jazeera.
Undeterred by the criticism, the party is considering the upcoming elections in the state of West Bengal, where Muslims make up 27 percent of the population.
“The goal is definitely to establish a presence throughout India,” Adil Hasan Azad, AIMIM Bihar youth president, told Al Jazeera.
Kashmir, India’s only Muslim-majority region, was stripped of its limited autonomy last year and its local assembly scrapped. [File: Danish Ismail/Reuters].
