How AIMIM expanded its footprint in Maharashtra’s local body elections

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has recorded its best-ever performance in the 2026 Maharashtra civic body elections, with Asaduddin Owaisi-led party winning 125 seats across major municipal corporations, underlining its growing footprint in the state's urban politics.

Shift in minority voting patterns

The local body election results point to a marked shift in minority voting patterns, traditionally dominated by the Congress, Samajwadi Party and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

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In several minority-dominated wards, particularly in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) and Malegaon, the AIMIM appears to have drawn support away from these parties, indicating a consolidation of Muslim votes in its favour. The gains followed an intensive campaign led by Asaduddin Owaisi, with his younger brother Akbaruddin Owaisi mobilising party cadres on the ground.

Between January 3 and January 13, the Owaisi brothers addressed dozens of rallies and public meetings across Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Malegaon, Nanded, Nagpur and Mumbai, focusing on civic neglect, representation and urban governance. To maximise outreach, Asaduddin Owaisi also travelled by helicopter to cover multiple locations and address as many rallies as possible.

Door-to-door campaign

In his speeches, Owaisi repeatedly highlighted local issues such as neglected infrastructure, water supply, sanitation and deficiencies in civic services, assuring voters that AIMIM would consistently raise these concerns in municipal bodies. His door-to-door outreach programme along with smaller community meetings, helped link these assurances directly to neighbourhood-level issues.

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Owaisi frequently reminded party leaders and workers of setbacks in previous elections, urging them to intensify their efforts this time. He also consistently underlined the role of women in the party’s campaign, using religious references to emphasise women’s importance in Islam and citing examples from Bihar where women voters had helped secure victories for the AIMIM.

He also focused on resolving internal differences, stressing that reconciling factions and bringing back leaders who had drifted away helped convert internal dissent into electoral strength.

Akbaruddin's intensive outreach

During the campaign, particularly in Parbhani, Asaduddin Owaisi slammed mainstream rivals including the Congress, Shiv Sena-aligned factions and the Samajwadi Party, accusing them of making empty promises and failing to raise minority concerns, while urging voters to demand accountability.

The party relied heavily on Akbaruddin Owaisi in Mumbai and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, where he made pointed remarks against local political leadership. He argued that those responsible for issues such as the renaming of Aurangabad should not wield civic power, directly appealing to local sentiments.

Akbaruddin employed his trademark fiery rhetoric during the campaign, reinforcing his combative posture towards political opponents and shaping the tone of his public engagements. The combined campaign strategy of the Owaisi brothers helped the AIMIM secure significant gains across urban Maharashtra.

Opposition split benefits AIMIM

Asaduddin Owaisi’s door-to-door campaign, coupled with the impact of narrow defeats in previous elections, galvanised party workers, resulting in the AIMIM winning so many seats across the state, party leader Shareque Naqshbandi said on Friday.

“Initially, AIMIM faced internal challenges over candidate selection in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Later, Asaduddin Owaisi’s presence and rallies in key pockets helped us win 33 of the 37 seats we contested there. This time, we have secured victories from Mumbai to Chandrapur,” Naqshbandi told PTI.

He added that Owaisi devoted significantly more time to campaigning than in 2015 and succeeded in overcoming dissidence by engaging with disgruntled leaders and persuading nearly 70 per cent of them.

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Narrow defeats, such as Imtiaz Jaleel’s loss in the 2024 Assembly elections from Aurangabad East, had motivated party workers to put in extra effort, Naqshbandi said.

“There were divisions among opposition parties, which worked to our advantage. Moreover, Asaduddin Owaisi went door to door in the areas where we were contesting and highlighted local civic issues in smaller rallies, which appealed to voters,” he added.