Maharashtra Election 2024: AIMIM's Imtiyaz Jaleel faces multifold challenge in Sambhajinagar

Jaleel, AIMIM's candidate from the Sambhajinagar East seat, is facing a multifaceted challenge in this election.

The name of Aurangabad has been changed to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, but all other changes needed in the city have yet to be implemented, says Imtiyaz Jaleel. Jaleel, AIMIM's candidate from the Sambhajinagar East seat, is facing a multifaceted challenge in this election. His opponents include not only candidates from the Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi alliances but also from the Samajwadi Party, making his victory challenging.

Jaleel, who was once chasing politicians with a microphone to get their sound bites, decided to step into their shoes. Asaduddin Owaisi, the president of AIMIM, appointed him as the party's Maharashtra chief and offered him a Vidhan Sabha ticket from the Aurangabad Central seat. The Owaisi brothers, who emerged as figures in Muslim politics, were expanding their party outside Hyderabad. Jaleel achieved success in his debut, establishing AIMIM’s presence in the Maharashtra assembly, marking their first representation outside Andhra Pradesh. Another candidate, Waris Pathan, won from Byculla in Mumbai. In 2019, Jaleel was elected as the sole AIMIM MP from Maharashtra.

However, Jaleel's political career hit a rough patch in 2024 when he lost in the Lok Sabha elections. He also faced internal dissent, with his leadership being challenged. As state chief, he failed to forge an alliance with the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), a collaboration that had helped his party secure a seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Following his Lok Sabha defeat, Jaleel has returned to state electoral politics, which some perceive as a demotion. Given the altered political landscape in Sambhajinagar, Jaleel has switched his constituency; in 2014, he was elected from the Central seat, but this time he has chosen the East seat. His former confidant, Gaffar Quadri, is now contesting against him as the Samajwadi Party's candidate.

Jaleel's party has been accused by the MVA of acting as the BJP's 'B team,' and he is now leveling a similar accusation against the Samajwadi Party. According to Jaleel, the Samajwadi Party is deliberately fielding candidates in Muslim-majority constituencies to divide the Muslim vote. He has accused the state Samajwadi Party chief, Abu Azmi, of aligning with Devendra Fadnavis, the Deputy CM and a BJP leader.

Atul Save of the BJP is the sitting MLA from the Sambhajinagar-East seat. Although Jaleel fears a division of the Muslim vote due to Congress and Samajwadi Party candidates, his hopes rest with Maratha leader Manoj Jarange Patil. Recently, he met with Jarange to discuss an alliance. Although Jarange declined to support any specific party or candidate, Jaleel believes his supporters will employ "Ganimi Kawa" (guerrilla tactics) on voting day to ensure his victory. The discontent among Marathas was a significant factor in the ruling Mahayuti’s poor performance in the Lok Sabha polls.