By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Mumbai: Since its entry into the Maharashtra politics, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) often spoke about Muslim-Dalit political alliance. Assembly election 2014 – the party did walk the talk, considering the performance of all its Dalit candidates.
The MIM gave tickets to four Dalit candidates, while supported one candidate from the Republican Panthers Party as its official candidate.
Congress stalwart and its Dalit face Sushil Kumar Shinde’s home district Solapur saw an impressive performance by MIM Dalit candidates. MIM’s Vishupant Gavade in Solapur (North) got 12,358 votes with 4th spot, interestingly Gavade was even ahead of Shiv Sena with over 3000 votes.
From Solapur (South), MIM candidate Arjun Salgar got 12,363 votes, again on the 4th spot and lost the third spot to NCP with just 100 votes.
Another of MIM’s Dalit candidate was from Kurla, where Avinash Gopichand pulled 25,741 votes more than what NCP-Congress combine got. He finished 3rd.
Former transport minister Gangadhar Gade of Panthers Republican Party who allied with MIM and became its official candidate to fight in Aurangabad (West) finished 3rd, getting 35,348 votes. This vote share was again double of what the Congress candidate received.
In Akkalkot, Subhash Shinde of MIM got 1,642 votes finishing 5th, with Shinde again ahead of Shiv Sena, even if it was just 40 votes’ difference.