Door on alliance with VBA not shut, Ambedkar must reach out to Owaisi: AIMIM

Days after announcing its split with Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen on Sunday said a rethink on the alliance ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly polls was possible provided VBA chief Prakash Ambedkar reaches out to its president Asaduddin Owaisi and shows flexibility on seat sharing.

AIMIM Maharashtra unit chief Imtiaz Jaleel, however, also said his party was as of now preparing to go it alone and looking to contest a maximum of 60 seats, being very selective by prioritising the winnable ones.

He said the AIMIM tried its best "till the last moment" to keep the alliance with VBA going.

"We reduced our figures, had meetings between both the party leaders -- Mr Owaisi and Mr Ambedkar -- but it did not work out. When Mr Ambedkar made a firm decision that he will give only eight seats that was the final nail in the coffin and Mr Owaisi said let us go alone," Jaleel told PTI.

Asked if there could be a rethink and the door was still open for an AIMIM-VBA tie-up, he said: "I don't think it is that difficult that it couldn't be resolved. If Mr Ambedkar, being the elder brother, takes a resolve that 'I want to continue, let's restart again'. If he reaches out to Mr Owaisi and asks to come back to the table, we will agree."