Asaduddin Owaisi, president of AIMIM, outlined his party’s strategy for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections, stating that the alliance with Humayun Kabir’s Janata Unnayan Party is focused on building and strengthening independent political leadership among the Muslim minority in the state.

Speaking at a press conference, Owaisi said the alliance aims to help Muslim leadership emerge and grow stronger through the elections. He added that seat-sharing has largely been finalised, with only a few constituencies left for discussion, and emphasized that the partnership goes beyond just this election and will continue in the future.

He stressed that areas lacking independent Muslim political leadership tend to show weaker social, economic, and human development indicators, citing data from state and national sources. According to him, there is a strong link between development and independent leadership. Owaisi also announced that he will visit on April 1 to support Humayun Kabir during his nomination filing and will participate in a large public rally, where candidate forms will also be distributed. He expressed appreciation to Kabir for joining hands with AIMIM.

Humayun Kabir, in turn, described Owaisi as a close ally and highlighted the strength of their partnership. He shared plans for a joint campaign featuring around 20 rallies across key regions such as Murshidabad, Malda, Birbhum, Uttar Dinajpur, Asansol, and Kolkata, starting with a major rally in Behrampur on April 1.

Kabir also clarified that the alliance is intended to continue beyond the 2026 elections. He noted that his party plans to contest 182 seats, with around eight seats allocated to AIMIM. The West Bengal Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with vote counting set for May 4.