Muslims in Bengal over 40 percent now, will contest in all seats next year: AIMIM

The announcement was made by AIMIM spokesperson Imran Solanki, who held a press conference in Kolkata on Tuesday.

"We are here to make a big announcement. We fought in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Delhi. In Bengal, we will fight from all seats. In the last panchayat elections, the AIMIM received 60,000 votes in Malda, 25,000 in Murshidabad, and from 15,000 to 18,000 in other areas," Solanki said as quoted by The Indian Express.

In reference to the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he said, "They are two sides of the same coin as they come to power using Muslim votes. But do nothing for us. There is no university in Murshidabad (a district with a sizeable Muslim population).

"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."

Highlighting the fact that the last census was held in 2011, Solanki claimed the Muslim population has now grown to over 40 percent in the state.

"They (TMC) come to power using Muslim votes, but they don’t do anything for us. We believe that it is because of the 90 percent Muslim vote that the TMC is able to form the government here," the AIMIM spokesperson said as reported by the daily.

The party has also launched a membership drive in the state.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's TMC has been in power in the eastern state of India for three uninterrupted terms since 2021.

In the last elections, where AIMIM had failed to make any tangible impact, the TMC swept the elections with over 200 seats thwarting an aggressive BJP.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the TMC maintained its dominance in the state's political landscape winning 29 seats as opposed to BJP's 12.