West Bengal Assembly Election: With just a few weeks remaining in the much-hyped West Bengal Assembly election, Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM has announced that it will contest the upcoming polls with former TMC leader Humayun Kabir-led Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP). Owaisi is set to visit the poll-bound state on March 25, where the formal announcement of the seat sharing is expected. The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) is likely to face a tougher challenge in the minority-dominated seats due to the latest political development.

'Injustice Against Bengali Muslims'

Owaisi, while addressing a crowd in Hyderabad on Sunday, accused the TMC of "injustice against Bengali Muslims", adding that thousands of OBC certificates had been cancelled. "There are several other instances of injustice, despite these people being courted in the name of secularism. When the Majlis (AIMIM) speaks about participation and participatory democracy, so-called secular parties feel threatened," Owaisi asserted.

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Apart from this, AIMIM's West Bengal president Imran Solanki alleged that a lack of development in the Muslim-majority districts such as Malda and Murshidabad has forced a large population to migrate. Apart from this, Muslims are also upset about the state government removing several minority groups from the OBC list. Solanki also highlighted that the TMC also implemented the Waqf law even after Mamata Banerjee resisted it strongly in the earlier days.

How Relevant Is Humayun Kabir?

Earlier last week, the former TMC leader, Humayun Kabir, announced that his party will contest 182 seats in the upcoming polls, adding that its election manifesto would be released on March 28. Kabir is set to contest two seats- Rejinagar and Naoda. While Kabir himself could not be a bigger threat to the TMC, its alliance with AIMIM could offer a tougher challenge for the ruling party.

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The West Bengal Assembly elections will be conducted in two phases on April 23 and April 29, 2026, with the counting of votes scheduled for May 4.