Two friends fight it out in Kochadhaman

Kochadhaman (Kishanganj): Kochadhaman assembly constituency in Kishanganj district seems set to witness almost a direct fight between Akhtar-ul-Iman of Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and JD(U) candidate Mujahid Alam, the two longtime friends turned political foes. The two have their respective strongholds in the constituency which, local political observers say, has the highest population of Muslims (around 80%) among the 24 Seemanchal seats.Owaisi’s AIMIM is for the first time contesting six assembly seats in Bihar in a bid to expand its political footprint in the state. As Iman is the state president of Owaisi’s outfit, the election result in Kochadhaman will be seen as a reflection of the Hyderabad MP’s pull in Bihar.Mujahid Alam had won the 2014 by-election while Akhtar-ul-Iman had won the 2010 election on RJD ticket, getting over 37,000 votes. In 2010, Mujahid Alam was the runner-up, with over 28,000 votes. In 2005, when Akhtar-ul-Iman had contested for the first time, Mujahid was his close friend. Mujahid, a teacher then, used to support him during the campaign. In 2010, the lure of power brought Mujahid close to JD(U) which pitted him against Iman. In 2014, Iman resigned to contest the Lok Sabha election from Kishanganj on JD(U) ticket but withdrew his candidature in favour of Congress candidate and sitting MP Mohammad Asrarul Haque so that the Muslim votes did not split. He remained in JD(U) before AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi poached him. “Every political party has exploited Muslims to win votes. Now, Muslims have decided not to waste their votes. It is the time for change,” Iman told TOI.Mujahid Alam goes around trumpeting that CM Nitish Kumar has changed Bihar and much lies in the pipeline which he will do when he is voted back. “Muslim jhase me nahi ayenge, Nitish ko jitanyenge (Muslims will vote for Nitish, they can’t be deceived),” Mujahid said.In this tough fight, BJP candidate Abdur Rahman is trying to make his presence felt, even though the seat is Muslim-dominated and BJP has been put in a tight spot due to anti-Muslim comments of its motormouth leaders. Rahman, however, does not miss any chance to invoke the development-oriented approach of governance of the PM. Popular Bhojpuri actor, singer and BJP MP Manoj Tiwari has campaigned for Rahman. Owaisi, Nitish and BJP leaders are leaving no stone unturned to woo voters in favour of their respective candidates.