Syed Asim Waqar, former national spokesperson for the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, officially joined the Indian National Congress on Wednesday, September 2, 2026. The induction ceremony took place at the All India Congress Committee office at 24 Akbar Road in New Delhi.
Waqar's formal entry into the party was overseen by AICC in-charge for Uttar Pradesh Rajendra Pal Gautam, Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai, and AICC Minority Department chairman Imran Pratapgarhi.
Upon joining the Congress, Waqar launched a direct attack on his former political affiliate. He alleged that the AIMIM merely pays lip service to the objective of removing the Bharatiya Janata Party from power. Waqar stated that on the ground, the party actively contests against other opposition formations, including the Congress and the Samajwadi Party, which he asserted effectively assists the BJP.
Syed Asim Waqar stated, 'But I felt being in the AIMIM for so many years that we pay lip service by stating that the BJP must be removed but on the ground we don't fight the BJP, we fight the Congress, the SP, we are fighting every other person who wants to remove the BJP.' He added that he considers the Congress, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, to be the true force challenging the ruling party across India.
Waqar served as a prominent spokesperson for AIMIM in Uttar Pradesh for nearly a decade and was regarded as a close associate of party president Asaduddin Owaisi. Prior to his tenure with AIMIM, he spent two decades as a member of the Samajwadi Party.
The political realignment comes ahead of the crucial Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, which are anticipated to take place early next year. Political observers note that Waqar's defection represents a significant political setback for AIMIM's ambitions to expand its electoral footprint among Muslim voters in Uttar Pradesh.
Waqar's defection fits into a broader pattern of political switching in India during pre-election cycles. His extensive political history, spanning twenty years with the Samajwadi Party before his decade-long alignment with AIMIM, underscores the fluidity of political loyalties in the state.
For the Indian National Congress, Waqar's inclusion is viewed as a strategic opportunity to strengthen outreach to minority communities in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the 2027 electoral contest. Conversely, the AIMIM faces immediate challenges in consolidating its organizational network in the state following the departure of a high-profile regional communicator.
