Lucknow, September 2 (TNA) Syed Asim Waqar, a national spokesperson of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and a prominent party face in Uttar Pradesh, joined the Congress on Wednesday, dealing a setback to Asaduddin Owaisi-led party ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
Waqar was inducted into the Congress in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai, Rajya Sabha MP and All India Congress Committee Minority Department chairman Imran Pratapgarhi, and AICC in-charge for Uttar Pradesh Rajendra Pal Gautam. Reports differed on whether the formal event took place in Lucknow or at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi.
After joining the Congress, Waqar said the primary objective of those who believe in secular politics should be to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party and form a secular government. He alleged that while AIMIM’s central leadership projected itself as fighting the BJP, the party’s actual political contests on the ground were directed against the Congress and other opposition parties.
“I found this unacceptable, which is why I decided to join the Congress,” Waqar said. A Lucknow resident, Waqar had been associated with AIMIM since 2017 and became a familiar television spokesperson for the party in Uttar Pradesh. His exit is being seen as politically significant as AIMIM seeks to expand its organisational presence in the state before the 2027 Assembly polls.
Congress leaders welcomed Waqar into the party, saying his entry would strengthen its outreach and organisation in Uttar Pradesh.