AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi cited Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s historic victory in Michigan’s US Senate race to advocate for a stronger Muslim political identity in Uttar Pradesh.
Reacting to El-Sayed becoming the first Muslim elected to the US Congress’s upper chamber, the Hyderabad MP said the outcome carried an important message for voters in India who are often subjected to political taunts over their religious identity.
“An Abdul has won in Michigan; now the Abdul from Uttar Pradesh will have to strengthen his political identity,” Owaisi said in a post on X today.
“The Sanghis have tried very hard to turn ‘Abdul’ into a taunt. The time has come for us to show that Abdul does not bow to anyone but Allah. No more will we lay out the prayer mat,” Owaisi wrote in Hindi.
Owaisi was referring to what he described as a long-standing political practice in which minority voters are approached for electoral support but are not given meaningful representation in return.
In Uttar Pradesh, where Assembly elections are due in the coming months and Muslims account for nearly one-fifth of the electorate, the name ‘Abdul’ has often featured in political debates and social media exchanges as a reference to the minority community.
AIMIM has repeatedly accused the ruling BJP of targeting Muslims and regional Opposition parties, including the Samajwadi Party, of treating the community primarily as a vote bank.
Owaisi’s remarks came hours after US television networks projected a victory for 42-year-old El-Sayed in the closely contested Michigan Senate race. The medical administrator defeated former Republican lawmaker Mike Rogers to succeed retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters.
“Michigan, we did it,” El-Sayed told hundreds of cheering supporters who hugged one another at his campaign headquarters in Detroit. “I am so proud and honoured to stand here as your senator-elect from the great state of Michigan.”
During the fiercely contested campaign, Republican leaders branded Democratic candidates as “communists” and attempted to portray El-Sayed as a “terrorist”. US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance also mocked his Arabic name at political rallies.
“You deserve to be able to see a doctor without getting a huge bill,” El-Sayed had said during his campaign.
With the backing of organised labour unions, El-Sayed attracted large crowds, including in conservative Republican strongholds, by criticising the multi-billion-dollar for-profit healthcare industry and pledging to eliminate the influence of money in politics.
