AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has strongly criticised the Election Commission of India (ECI) for initiating a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, alleging it is an attempt to conduct the National Register of Citizens (NRC) “through the back door.”
Speaking to ANI, the Hyderabad MP questioned the ECI’s authority to determine citizenship. “Who gave the ECI the power to decide who is a citizen or not? Our party was the first to say this SIR is NRC in disguise,” he said.
Owaisi further demanded data from the previous SIR conducted in Bihar in 2003, challenging the ECI to reveal how many foreign nationals were actually identified at that time. “We’ll ask our members to meet BLOs and question where these people from Nepal, Myanmar, and Bangladesh are that they keep mentioning,” he added.
Turning his criticism toward opposition politics, Owaisi ruled out any alliance with the INDIA bloc, accusing it of sidelining emerging leaders and failing to represent the poor and marginalized. “One-sided love is not going to happen. They just want you to remain their slaves,” he said, dismissing past accusations against AIMIM as baseless.
Instead, Owaisi backed the formation of a third front, echoing AIMIM Bihar president Akhtarul Iman’s suggestion. “We are ready to contest the elections independently. Our focus will be on the Seemanchal region where we have strong support,” he asserted.
With Bihar elections expected later this year in October or November, the political landscape is heating up. While the NDA alliance of BJP, JD(U), and LJP seeks to retain power, the INDIA bloc—comprising RJD, Congress, and Left parties—aims to dislodge Nitish Kumar’s leadership.
Currently, the NDA holds a majority with 131 seats in the 243-member Bihar Assembly, while the INDIA bloc holds 111 seats. AIMIM, which has influence in specific regions, especially Seemanchal, is expected to play a pivotal role in shaping the electoral narrative.
