Kishanganj, Bihar: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday launched a sharp retort against political strategist Prashant Kishor for suggesting he should restrict his political activities to his Hyderabad constituency in Telangana.
Addressing three election rallies in Bihar’s Kishanganj, Owaisi directly addressed the criticism. “I have been coming here (Seemanchal) to show you all leaders what you have done to Bihar,” he declared.
Owaisi Criticizes Past Rulers for Bihar’s Poor State
The AIMIM chief, whose party is again contesting the Bihar elections independently after failing to secure a deal with the opposition INDIA bloc, leveled severe accusations against the state’s major political players. He alleged that successive governments led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress, and later the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)), have ruled the state, yet the per capita income of the people of Bihar remains the lowest in the country.
Owaisi contrasted his own consistency with the political maneuvering of Bihar’s Chief Minister: “Nitish has been changing in Bihar, but I am still the same as I was 11 years ago when I first came here. I have tasted both successes and failures during these years, but I have never left you like these leaders.” He further commented that Nitish Kumar is “stuck in Rajgir” while Lalu Prasad Yadav‘s primary goal is merely “to make his son chief minister.”
The Prashant Kishor Slapback
The public spat was triggered by Prashant Kishor, who, during his election campaign in Kishanganj on Tuesday, allegedly advised Owaisi to concentrate on Hyderabad rather than venturing into the Seemanchal region. Kishor reportedly insisted that “sons of Seemanchal should be leaders of Seemanchal” and expressed confidence that the minority community in the region would not repeat the mistake of the 2020 elections. The AIMIM had previously won five assembly seats from the minority-dominated Seemanchal belt in 2020.
Owaisi was campaigning for AIMIM candidates in the area, addressing rallies in Bahadurganj for Md Tauseef Alam, Thakurganj for Ghulam Hasnain, and Kishanganj assembly seat for Shamsh Agaz.
AIMIM’s Focus on Seemanchal
The AIMIM has strategically fielded 25 candidates across Bihar in the current election cycle. A significant focus is on Seemanchal, where the party has nominated 14 candidates across its four key districts—Purnea, Katihar, Araria, and Kishanganj. This area, with a substantial Muslim population ranging from 30% to 70%, accounts for 24 of Bihar’s 243 assembly seats and is currently represented by 11 Muslim MLAs. Voting in Seemanchal is scheduled for November 11, with results to be counted on November 14.