All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi has started his four-day Seemanchal Nyay Yatra in Bihar as part of his preparations for the 2025 assembly elections. The yatra began on September 24 from Kishanganj and is scheduled to conclude on September 27. During the visit, Owaisi and his team will meet people in various constituencies, hold public meetings, and highlight issues affecting the local population.
Owaisi said that campaigning for the elections had already started and that his party had been working in the region for a long time under the leadership of Akhtarul Iman, AIMIM’s Bihar president. Speaking to reporters in Siliguri, West Bengal, Owaisi stressed that the yatra is an opportunity to connect with the public and discuss local issues.
The Seemanchal region includes Kishanganj, Araria, Purnia, and Katihar, and it has a large Muslim population, making it a key focus area for Owaisi. In the 2020 Bihar assembly elections, AIMIM had won five seats, all from this region. The party hopes to regain influence here and expand its presence in Bihar ahead of the 2025 elections.
Before 2020, the Seemanchal region was considered a stronghold of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). The late Mohammed Taslimuddin, a senior RJD leader closely associated with former chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, had dominated the region for years. His death in September 2017 created a political vacuum, which AIMIM successfully capitalized on.
After Taslimuddin’s demise, AIMIM increased its presence in Seemanchal and won five seats in the 2020 elections. However, four of these five MLAs later switched to RJD, weakening AIMIM’s position. Despite this setback, the party remains active in the region and continues to attract local leaders who wish to join AIMIM ahead of the upcoming polls.
Owaisi’s party has also proposed an alliance with the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan for the Bihar elections. AIMIM requested only six seats and stated it was not seeking ministerial positions but wanted to be treated as an equal partner. However, the RJD has so far refused to form an alliance, which Owaisi described as disappointing.
The RJD’s voter base is primarily composed of Yadavs and Muslims. Allowing AIMIM into the grand alliance could split Muslim votes and potentially benefit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which could accuse the Mahagathbandhan of indulging in vote-bank politics.
While the BJP has dismissed Owaisi’s yatra, it continues to monitor the developments closely. In the 2020 elections, the saffron party had won eight seats in Seemanchal, showing that it has a solid presence in the region. BJP leaders have accused Owaisi of focusing on Muslim votes and indulging in what they call “vote bank politics.” MP Ravi Shankar Prasad said the BJP does not worry about Owaisi’s alliances but sees the strategy as an attempt to gather votes from a specific community.
Despite these challenges, Owaisi is confident that the Seemanchal Nyay Yatra will strengthen AIMIM’s influence in the region. The yatra focuses on local development issues, grievances of residents, and promises to provide better representation for the Muslim community in Bihar. By connecting directly with voters, AIMIM hopes to regain trust and expand its vote share in the region.
Political analysts say that Seemanchal remains a key battleground in Bihar elections. AIMIM’s growing influence could change the dynamics in the region, forcing traditional parties like RJD and BJP to rethink their strategies. Owaisi’s emphasis on a targeted outreach program in Muslim-dominated areas could have an impact on seat distribution and the overall results of the 2025 Bihar assembly elections.
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The yatra also highlights AIMIM’s strategy to strengthen its grassroots presence. By visiting towns and villages, interacting with people, and addressing local issues, the party hopes to expand beyond the five seats it won previously. Political observers note that the 2025 elections in Seemanchal will be closely watched, as results here could indicate broader trends for AIMIM and other parties in Bihar.
In summary, the Seemanchal Nyay Yatra is AIMIM’s key campaign initiative ahead of the 2025 Bihar assembly elections. It aims to consolidate Muslim votes, expand AIMIM’s presence, and highlight local issues in a region that has shifted politically over the past few years. How voters respond to Owaisi’s efforts will play an important role in shaping the political outcome of Seemanchal in the upcoming elections.
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