AIMIM was originally founded as Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) in 1927 by Nawab Mahmood Nawaz Khan Qiledar of Hyderabad State in the presence of Ulma-e-Mashaeqeen as a pro-partition party.[14] The first meeting was held in the house of Nawaz Khan on 12 November 1927. MIM shunned integration with India and advocated the setting up of a "Ashraf dominion" in India.[15][16][17] In 1938, Bahadur Yar Jung was elected president of the MIM. At that time it had only a cultural and religious manifesto. It soon acquired a political complexion. After the death of Bahadur Yar Jang in 1944, Qasim Rizvi was elected as its leader.[18] Indian government, after police action (named operation polo), merged Hyderabad state with India and arrested Razakars including its leader Qasim Rizvi. He was released from jail in 1957 with condition that he will go to Pakistan.
In 1958, before he left for Pakistan, Razvi nominated Abdul Wahid Owaisi as his successor. Abdul Wahed Owaisi, a lawyer organised the party into the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen.[19][20] Under his leadership, the AIMIM shifted from a hardline policy of independence to a pragmatic direction.[21] After Abdul Wahed Owaisi, his son Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi took control of AIMIM in 1975 and was referred to as Salar E Millat (commander of the community).[22][23] AIMIM President, Asaduddin Owaisi, his son claims that AIMIM is not the descendant of Razakars.[24]
In Indian politics
Andhra Pradesh/Telangana
Abdul Wahid Owaisi – Revived AIMIM in 1958
In 1960, AIMIM won the Mallepally ward of Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. In 1962, Salahuddin won from Patharghatti assembly seat as an independent candidate and later from Charminar constituency in 1967.[25] In 1972, he won from Yakutpura and later in 1978, again from Charminar.[26] In 1984, Salahuddin emerged victorious in the central seat of Hyderabad, which he represented the seat until 2004.[27][28][29]Mohammad Majid Hussain of the AIMIM was unanimously elected as the Mayor of Greater Hyderabad on 2 January 2012.[30]
In 1993, AIMIM suffered a split, with a faction led by Amanullah Khan creating the Majlis Bachao Tehreek. As a result, AIMIM was reduced to a single Assembly seat in Andhra Pradesh in 1994.[31] They won four seats in 1999, and increased their total to seven in 2009, where they have remained since then. They joined the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance in 2008, but left it in 2012.[32]
AIMIM have seven MLAs, two MLCs, one MP, 67 Municipal Corporators and 70 Councillors in Telangana.
In 2018, AIMIM allied with Prakash Ambedkar's Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi.[34][35] AIMIM and VBA contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra in an alliance. VBA contested 47 seats and did not win any and AIMIM contested one seat which Imtiyaz Jaleel and won the Aurangabad seat, winning a seat for AIMIM outside Hyderabad for the first time ever.[36]
Former RJD and JD(U) leader and Kochadhaman MLA Akhtarul Iman joined AIMIM in 2015, he was made state president of the party in Bihar. Akhtarul Iman contested 2015 Bihar Assembly Elections from Kochadhaman seat on AIMIM ticket against seating JD(U) MLA and Mahagathbandhan Candidate Mujahid Alam. Iman's popularity in his home constituency could not win him election in 2015 due to strong favour of Muslims voters towards Mahagathbandhan candidates. State President Akhtarul Iman[45] contested from Kishanganj Lok Sabha on AIMIM ticket in the 2019 Indian general election.[46] In triangular contest among Akhtarul Iman, Congress candidate Dr. Jawaid Azad and JD(U) candidate Mahmood Ashraf, Dr. Jawaid Azad won the elections with a comfortable margin and Akhtarul Iman was at third position.
Later that year, Qamrul Hoda won the by-election from Kishanganj Assembly Constituency on the AIMIM ticket defeating Congress candidate Dr. Jawaid Azad's mother.[47] The seat was left vacant after Dr. Jawaid Azad's victory in the Lok Sabha election. Qamrul Huda is the first elected MLA of AIMIM in Bihar. He lost his seat in 2020 Assembly Elections.[48]
On 29 June 2022, 4 out of 5 AIMIM MLAs joined RJD in the presence of Lalu Prasad Yadav leaving behind Amour MLA Akhtarul Iman as the only AIMIM MLA in Bihar.[52][53]
In an exclusive interview with Main Media after party breakup, Akhtarul Iman blamed Jokihat MLA for their action. He also claimed that every MLA was given huge sum of money in exchange for joining RJD.[54]
Uttar Pradesh
In the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Local Body elections, AIMIM secured victory in 32 seats. However, in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election[55] AIMIM faced a significant setback as the party did not win any of the 100 seats it contested. In several constituencies, AIMIM's presence had an impact on the distribution of votes among so called secular parties, indirectly contributing to BJP's success. however Bahujan Samaj Party contested 403 and only one seat, Congress contested 399 seats and won only 2 seat where Aam Admi Party contested 349 did not win any seats[56][57][58][59][60]
In 31 March 2024 AIMIM and Apna Dal (K) announced an alliance in Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha elections.
Gujarat
AIMIM made an impressive debut in the election for the Amdavad Municipal Corporation. They contested 21 seats and won 7. AIMIM panel won all seats in the Jamalpur and Maktampura Wards. All 7 seats AIMIM won came at the cost of Congress, these seats belonged to Congress since 2015. After a few days, AIMIM likely contested the Gujarat Municipality election, which he succeeded. The party won 9 seats in Modasa, eight in Godhra and two seats in Bharuch. Later, AIMIM wonthe Bharuch municipality ward no 10 by-election by 1,400 votes.
Karnataka
AIMIM won 4 Corporators seats in the Karnataka Municipal Corporation, 3 in Hubli and one in Belgavi. In the City Council election AIMIM won 4 Councillors in Bidar (two) and Kolar (two) Municipality.
Tamil Nadu
AIMIM opened its account in Tamil Nadu by winning two seats of the 16 wards it contested in Vaniyambadi municipal elections 2022. Tamil Nadu is the fourth state in south India after Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka to have AIMIM representation in municipal bodies.
The main party office is located within Darussalam, where Deccan College of Engineering and Technology, Deccan School of Pharmacy, Deccan School of Planning and Architecture, and Deccan School of Management are also located. The Indian Etemaad Press Office is also situated adjacent to the engineering college. The open grounds on the campus are also used from time to time to organize political gatherings (termed as "jalsa") where the party leaders deliver speeches to public and media alike.
AIMIM has occasionally fielded Hindus in various assembly and local body elections.
In 1986 the first Dalit Mayor of Municipal Corporation Hyderabad Kalra Prakash Rao, then Anumula Satyanarayana a Hindu Mayor in 1987[74][75][76][77][78] The AIMIM selected Alampally Pochiah as its First Mayor in the city.[79] MIM had three Hindu Hyderabad mayors- K. Prakash Rao, A. Satyanarayana and Alampalli Pochaiah.[80] A Muralidhar Reddy, Hindu candidate being fielded for an assembly seat by Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen from Rajendranagar constituency.
In 2013 local elections the party fielded a woman candidate from Hindu OBC, V.Bhanumathi, who won election against Hajira Sultana from Congress by 1,282 votes.[81]
During the 2020 Delhi riots, AIMIM organized two medical relief camps in Delhi and donated medicines worth ₹4,000,000. Asaduddin Owaisi announced that all elected representatives of AIMIM will donate one month of their salary for those affected by the Delhi riots.[89]
In February 2020, Police from India's Kalaburagi, Karnataka region charged party leader Waris Pathan for his alleged hate speech. In the speech Pathan allegedly expressed Anti-Hindu sentiment by positing, "To those saying we have only put our women at the forefront of the protest against the CAA, NRC and NPR, only our lionesses have come out till now and you are already sweating. Imagine what will happen if we all men came together. We are 15 crore, which can outweigh their 100 crore". Waris later apologised for the comments via Twitter while the party's president Asaduddin Owaisi advised him not to make provocative remarks in public.[12]
In 2007, the floor leader of the party in the Telangana Assembly, Akbaruddin Owaisi, threatened to kill the writer Taslima Nasreen[11] should she ever visit Hyderabad again.[92] Nasreen was later attacked during a book launch for the Telugu translation of her novel Shodh.[93]
