Nagpur (Maharashtra) [India], March 26 : Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar on Thursday alleged that AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi is functioning as the "B-team" of the BJP, claiming that Owaisi announces candidates at the party's direction to ensure the BJP's success during elections.
Addressing the media, he said, "The entire nation knows that AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi is the B team (of the BJP). He announces the candidates at the direction of the BJP to ensure that the BJP gets success during the elections."
In another similar jibe, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan earlier in the day criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and his party, calling them the "B-team" of the BJP.
He also said that the party is copying the ruling party's positions instead of learning from its own mistakes.
Meanwhile, Owaisi's party gears up for the West Bengal Assembly elections in alliance with Humayun Kabir's Janata Unnayan Party (JUP).
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Owaisi had outlined the alliance's primary objective as fostering independent political leadership for the Muslim minority in the state.
"Our attempt is that a leadership from the Muslim minority emerges and strengthens in this election in West Bengal. We have decided the number of seats we will contest," Owaisi had said, adding that the alliance aims to continue beyond the 2026 elections.
According to the alliance plan, Humayun Kabir's party will contest 182 seats, of which about eight will be allocated to AIMIM. Owaisi is scheduled to visit Behrampur on April 1 for Kabir's nomination filing and will hold a large public meeting while distributing party forms to candidates.
In West Bengal, polling will be conducted in two phases on April 23 and April 29, while Kerala and Assam will vote in a single phase on April 9. Tamil Nadu will go to the polls on April 23, and voting in Puducherry will also be held on April 9. Counting of votes in all four states and Puducherry will be done on May 4.