MIM clean bowled

Hyderabad/Patna : The Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) failed to open its account in Bihar where it contested just six of the 243 seats, and also fared poorly in most constituencies. Following an impressive debut in the Maharashtra assembly polls last year, the party led by Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi was hoping to bag a couple of seats in Bihar.

The MIM confined its fight to six seats in Seemanchal region, which elects 24 members to the assembly. MIM chief Owaisi, however, said he was not disappointed. He said the party had made a beginning in Bihar. Owaisi attributed the defeat to paucity of time to campaign but vowed to continue efforts to strengthen the party in Bihar.

Hailing the victory of the Grand Alliance as a vote against communalism, the MIM chief said he had urged people to vote for secular parties in all constituencies where the MIM was not contesting. The Hyderabad MP believes the poor showing in Bihar won't impact on its prospects in Uttar Pradesh. It plans to contest by-elections to a couple of assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh before gearing up for the 2017 polls.

Among its six candidates, only Akhtarul Imaan, the president of the party's Bihar unit, could give some fight in Kocha Daman. Imaan polled 37,086 votes and finished second. Mujahid Alam of the Janata Dal-United won with 55,929 votes.