AIMIM leader Aseem Waqar joins Congress ahead of UP election

NEW DELHI, September 2, 2026: Senior All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader and party chief spokesperson Syed Aseem Waqar joined the Congress on Wednesday, giving the party a boost ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

Waqar joined the Congress at the party headquarters in New Delhi in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Congress in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam, state Congress president Ajay Rai, and Congress Minority Department chairman and Rajya Sabha MP Imran Pratapgarhi.

Welcoming Waqar, Congress leaders said senior figures from different political parties were joining the organisation, citing the issues being raised by Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi concerning education, employment, students, women and disadvantaged sections of society.

Gautam said Gandhi was strongly raising the concerns of different sections of society and cautioning the government on issues of national interest. He said people were joining the Congress to strengthen the hands of party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi.

Gautam also described Waqar as an “articulate speaker” whose views, he said, were aligned with Gandhi’s vision for the country.

Ajay Rai expressed confidence in the Congress’s prospects in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, saying the party’s flag would fly across villages and streets throughout the state.

Pratapgarhi said the Congress was being strengthened by the entry of new members and referred to Rahul Gandhi’s “Mohabbat Ki Dukaan” campaign. He also claimed that several other prominent figures would join the party in the coming days.

After joining the Congress, Waqar alleged that AIMIM, despite publicly opposing the BJP, was working on the ground in a manner that weakened parties directly challenging the BJP.

He referred to a similar political arrangement in West Bengal and mentioned former Trinamool Congress leader Humayun Kabir, alleging that Kabir had formed a political party and spoken about constructing the Babri Masjid in a manner that benefited the BJP.

Waqar further referred to Kabir’s alleged admission during a sting operation that he had received Rs 1,100 crore from the BJP. He said those committed to establishing a secular and public-oriented government should join the Congress, which he described as the only party directly fighting the BJP on the ground.