"Two shores can never meet": Owaisi rules out alliance with BJP after AIMIM's Maharashtra civic poll gains

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], January 20 (ANI): All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday ruled out any possibility of aligning with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) following his party's strong performance in the Maharashtra municipal elections, asserting that "the two shores of the sea can never meet."
Speaking in an exclusive interview with ANI, Owaisi referred to a recent incident in Akot in which AIMIM corporators attempted to align with the BJP. He said five AIMIM corporators had won in Akot and were earlier warned by the party.
Owaisi said that intially the corporators claimed that they were unaware that the group they had joined was associated with the BJP. Owaisi said the party then directed them to immediately submit a letter to the municipal commissioner and withdraw their support.
"Look, this cannot happen. The two shores of the sea can never become one. Five corporators from Akot had won, and we had warned them. Earlier, they told us that while forming the group, they did not know that it was the BJP. So we told them to immediately write a letter to their Municipal Commissioner and withdraw from that group," Owaisi told ANI.
He further stated that it later emerged that a BJP leader's son had been accommodated through co-option, following which Imtiaz Jaleel suspended the corporators from the party. Owaisi made it clear that AIMIM would take strict action against any member aligning with rival political formations.
"It was found out that when the BJP leader's son was accommodated through co-option, Imtiaz Jaleel suspended them from the party. Whoever it may be--BJP, Eknath Shinde, or Ajit Pawar--if they go with them, the party will take action against them," he said.
Highlighting AIMIM's performance in the Maharashtra municipal polls, Owaisi said the party had won 125 seats in the recent elections and around 85 seats in municipal elections held about a month earlier. He added that AIMIM now has over 200 corporators across municipal councils and municipal corporations in the state.
"This time, we have won 125 seats. In the municipal elections held about a month ago, nearly 85 of our candidates were victorious. If you look at municipal councils and municipal corporations together, we now have over 200 corporators who have won. If a party is unable to win, it is clear that there may be shortcomings on the part of that party. We have been working consistently at the grassroots level for years," Owaisi said.
AIMIM registered significant gains in the recently concluded Maharashtra municipal body elections, winning more seats than in the previous polls and securing eight seats in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections.
Responding to a question about leadership, Owaisi reiterated that he does not seek to present himself as a Muslims leader.

"No. I have always said that I neither am nor do I want to become a leader for Muslims. It is our party's attempt to ensure that we create hundreds of leaders, and these people will take on leadership roles in future," he said.

On AIMIM outperforming parties such as the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena in certain areas, Owaisi said consistent grassroots work and a clear public message had helped the party gain public trust.
"We have been working hard there. We give one consistent message in the media and public, and that creates an impact on the public," said Owaisi.
AIMIM's tally marks a substantial rise from the 2017 municipal elections, when AIMIM had secured 81 seats. This time, it posted strong performances in cities such as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Malegaon, Dhule, Amravati, Solapur and Mumbai. The victory in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation was particularly significant, as it marked AIMIM's first-ever entry into the civic body of India's financial capital.
In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar alone, AIMIM candidates won more than 30 wards, consolidating the party's standing in the region. Observers credit sustained grassroots campaigning and direct voter engagement for the improved outcome.
Meanwhile, across the 2,869 seats across municipal bodies, the BJP-led Mahayuti emerged as the clear winner in multiple places, securing 1,824 seats.
Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS together managed to win only 168 seats across the state in the recently concluded local body polls.
The Congress, which fought the polls alongside the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), secured 324 seats. The NCP, which was in alliance with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, won 167 and 36 seats, respectively. (ANI)