West Bengal Assembly Elections: Asaduddin Owaisi breaks alliance with Humayun Kabir, announces to contest alone

A significant political development has emerged ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections. Asaduddin Owaisi's party, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), has broken its alliance with Hamaun Kabir's party and decided to contest the state elections alone.

In a statement released on social media early on Friday, the party said it cannot associate itself with any controversy or statement that questions the self-respect of the Muslim community. The statement clarified that the alliance with Hamaun Kabir's party is being terminated with immediate effect.

The decision is being linked to the alleged 'secret video' controversy surrounding Hamaun Kabir. Although the statement did not mention any specific incident, political circles believe that the controversy has widened the distance between the two parties.

Reacting to the breakdown of the alliance, Hamaun Kabir said Owaisi is free to make his own decisions and he does not want to comment on it. He added that he respects Owaisi personally and will continue to do so. He also revealed that both parties had decided to contest the election together at a joint press conference in Kolkata on March 25.

Hamaun Kabir also said his party is contesting 182 seats and the campaign will continue. He expressed confidence that his party will perform well and gain public support. He also alleged that the 'secret video' was created using artificial intelligence (AI) and threatened to approach the high court if its authenticity is not proven.

In its statement, AIMIM said the Muslim community in West Bengal has long been poor, neglected, and exploited, and the party's objective is to provide an independent political voice for these communities. Therefore, the party has decided to contest the election alone in the state without forming an alliance with any party.

Notably, the alliance between the two parties was initially expected to have a significant impact on the minority vote share in the state. However, with the alliance now broken, a change is expected in the electoral equation.