Patna, March 11 Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM, a Member of Parliament representing Hyderabad and which has five MLAs in the Bihar Assembly, indicated on Wednesday that it might support the RJD candidate in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.
Akhtarul Iman, an AIMIM MLA and the chief of the Bihar unit, told reporters after meeting RJD working president Tejashwi Yadav that the discussions were held in a "positive manner" and expressed hope for "a positive outcome" in favor of the Mahagathbandhan candidate.
"I came to meet the leader of the opposition (Yadav) upon his invitation. The talks were positive. We will take further steps after informing Owaisi. Hopefully, the results (of the Rajya Sabha elections) will also be positive," Iman said.
Notably, voting has been necessitated for five Rajya Sabha seats in Bihar as RJD MP Amarendra Dhari Singh has entered the fray, throwing a spanner in the works for the NDA's hopes of a clean sweep.
The NDA candidates include prominent figures such as Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and BJP president Nitin Nabin, along with Union minister Ram Nath Thakur, former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha, and former MLA Shivesh Kumar.
The NDA enjoys a strong majority in the Assembly, but its combined tally of 202 is three short of the number of votes required for the BJP-led coalition to win all five seats.
On the other hand, the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan, which includes the Congress and the Left parties, is only 35 MLAs strong and can only muster the required number if all five members of AIMIM and one from BSP, headed by former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, support Singh.
Iman, who had earlier ruled out the possibility of supporting the Mahagathbandhan candidate, saying "we want to contest the Rajya Sabha elections, let them support us," defended the change in his stance.
"Both of us (RJD and AIMIM) have suffered setbacks. It is essential for both of us to revise our stance," Iman said, whose offer to join Mahagathbandhan was rejected by Yadav ahead of the November Assembly polls.
Asked whether he was still willing to put the past behind and join the Mahagathbandhan, the AIMIM leader replied cryptically, "A decision must be taken that is in the interests of all."
In a clear indication that relations have improved between the RJD, which has for decades been the first choice party for Muslims in Bihar, and the AIMIM, an alleged "B team of BJP", Iman said, "I have invited Yadav to an Iftar party that I am hosting on March 15. He has accepted the invitation."
Voting for the Rajya Sabha seats is scheduled for March 16.