Chandrapur: AIMIM corporator Azhar Shaikh on Tuesday said his party did not back the Congress in the Chandrapur mayoral election, as it was never approached or taken into confidence after the civic poll results. This decision ultimately altered the outcome of the tightly fought contest. Shaikh’s abstention, along with the absence of 2 Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) corporators, proved decisive in BJP‘s 1-vote victory over the Congress-led bloc.Speaking to TOI after the results, Shaikh said Congress leaders failed to initiate any dialogue with AIMIM despite its presence in the fractured House. “After the results on January 16, not a single Congress leader contacted us. There was no phone call, no message, no meeting. They never felt it necessary to speak to our representatives or our community leaders,” Shaikh said.
He said AIMIM repeatedly conveyed through intermediaries that it was open to talks, but was told bluntly that its support was not required. “Whenever our people tried to reach out, the response was always the same — that AIMIM was not needed. If they don’t need us, then why should we stand with them?” Shaikh said.He rejected suggestions that AIMIM’s decision amounted to helping BJP. “AIMIM has always opposed BJP and will continue to do so. But the situation on the ground was such that Congress showed no respect, no seriousness. After discussing the ground reality with senior leaders, we decided to remain cautious and abstain,” he said.He also pointed to the internal conflict within Congress as a factor. “The fight between their own leaders was visible. Because of that infighting, they could not even decide who to speak to or what commitment to give,” Shaikh said.
