evidence: The allegations against AIMIM stem from Mr. Owaisi’s much-vaunted plans to go national by putting up candidates in States like Gujarat, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. In Gujarat elections last year, AIMIM contested 13 seats, mostly in Muslim-dominated areas. In Uttar Pradesh, the party, along with its junior allies, had put up 100 candidates in 2022 Vidhan Sabha elections; 99 of them had lost their deposit. In Bihar, AIMIM had contested 20 seats, again largely in Seemanchal which has a significant Muslim population. All this led to frequent allegations that Mr. Owaisi was trying to divide the anti-BJP vote or the so-called secular vote, thereby helping the BJP romp home. However, Mr. Owaisi had rubbished the claims pointing out that the victory margin of the BJP candidates in Bihar was usually more than the number of votes polled by his party. Of the 20 seats where the AIMIM was in the fray, the National Democratic Alliance won six, the then Mahgathbandhan (Rashtriya Janata Dal-Indian National Congress-Left) got nine seats and the AIMIM five. Mr. Owaisi had then remarked, "Where is the question of the AIMIM eating into the so-called secular vote and enabling the NDA to win? It is all humbug. It is a myth circulated to hide their failures."