AIMIM's Bengal unit keen on alliance with Humayun Kabir, days after rejection by central leadership

Kolkata, Dec 12 (PTI) The West Bengal unit of the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM on Friday expressed willingness to ally with suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir in the upcoming assembly elections in the state, barely days after the central leadership dismissed him as "politically incompatible".

AIMIM's state president Imran Solanki said talks were underway with Kabir, who has emerged a prominent minority voice after triggering a political firestorm by laying foundation of a Babri Masjid-style mosque in Murshidabad on December 6.

Solanki said he had already spoken to Kabir and suggested that both sides were examining a possible understanding in "a few seats" in next year's assembly elections.

"Humayun Kabir is keen on an alliance with the AIMIM because of Asaduddin Owaisi's national presence. We are also interested in exploring a tie-up on select seats," he told PTI, adding that the final call would rest with the Hyderabad MP.

Solanki's remarks, coming just four days after AIMIM national spokesperson Syed Asim Waqar publicly ruled out any collaboration with Kabir, have added a fresh layer of intrigue to West Bengal's already volatile pre-poll landscape.

On December 8, Waqar issued a statement, categorically distancing the party from Kabir, calling his outreach "politically suspect and ideologically incompatible".

He had argued that Kabir was widely perceived to be aligned with BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari and, by implication, the party's central leadership.

"From all available public information, Kabir appears to be operating within Adhikari's political ecosystem," Waqar had said, underscoring that Owaisi's politics was rooted in constitutional values and peace, and could not be associated with individuals whose actions "deepen societal fault lines or promote politics of destruction".

Asked about the apparent contradiction, Solanki said, "Yes, we know what Waqar had said, but that's not the official stand of the party at present." Waqar did not respond to calls when contacted by PTI on Friday.

The West Bengal unit's more accommodative position suggests that ground-level electoral calculations may be unfolding differently, especially in the minority-dominated districts of Murshidabad and Malda, where both Kabir and the AIMIM believe they can dent the TMC's base.

Kabir, suspended by the TMC last week after repeated clashes with the party's district and state leadership, has set his eyes on carving out a Muslim vote bloc independent of Mamata Banerjee's party.

The former Congress MLA, who has switched between the TMC, BJP and back over the past decade, has said he will launch his own political outfit on December 22 and hopes to play a "kingmaker" role in the upcoming polls.

His decision to lay the foundation stone of a Babri Masjid-styled mosque on December 6, a move rivals described as a calculated provocation, propelled him into national headlines and sharpened the battle over minority politics in West Bengal.

The AIMIM, meanwhile, is preparing for what Solanki described as its "strongest push" in West Bengal yet.

He said the party had built considerable organisational strength since the last election and would contest multiple seats across north and south Bengal.

"Our base is particularly strong in Malda, Murshidabad, Birbhum, North and South Dinajpur, and even a few pockets in Kolkata," he said, adding that Owaisi would camp in the Malda-Murshidabad belt during the campaign.

Solanki also sharpened his attack on Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of "ignoring minorities" even while benefiting electorally from their support.

He cited her shifting positions on the SIR issue and the Waqf Amendment Bill, claiming these had caused discontent among Muslim voters.

"It will be a much tougher election for Mamata Banerjee this time. Minority voters are upset, and this will influence results in districts where Muslims are a decisive factor," he said.

Political observers said Kabir's turbulent political trajectory, from Congress to TMC, then BJP, and back to TMC before his latest suspension, has made him one of the most unpredictable actors in West Bengal politics.

But his evolving engagement with the AIMIM, even amid contrasting signals from the party's state and national leadership, underscores how fluid political alignments have become ahead of next year's polls, they added. PTI PNT ACD