The Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen, which had been seen as a “vote cutter”, appeared set to win five Muslim-dominated seats in Bihar on Tuesday.

With the election results on a knife’s edge, the AIMIM appeared to have made big gains in Bihar’s Seemanchal region that was being seen as a stronghold of the Opposition Grand Alliance.

AIMIM national spokesperson Asim Waqar told PTI that the final decision on who the AIMIM could back in case of a hung Assembly would be taken by Owaisi but ruled out supporting the BJP, asserting that his party’s fight had always been against the saffron camp.

Ahead of the polling in the third phase on Saturday, the Congress had dubbed the AIMIM the BJP’s “B-team”. Bihar Congress chief Madan Mohan Jha had said the AIMIM would not have any significant impact on the Assembly polls as people would not “waste” their votes on it.

The AIMIM said on Tuesday that its critics had got a befitting reply from the people. Asked about the assertion of the Congress and the Mahagathbandhan that the AIMIM was a “vote cutter”, Waqar said: “Those calling us that have got a befitting reply and their mouths will now be shut in the future as well.”

On whether his party was likely to go with the Mahagathbandhan or the NDA, he said: “The decision will be taken by Asad (Owaisi) sahab, but the reality is that our fight is against the BJP and for the country. So the BJP and its alliance do not appear anywhere on our list.”

Expressing happiness over the AIMIM’s performance, he said party workers were expecting such a result as they had toiled hard on the ground for the past five years. As per the latest available trends, the AIMIM had taken a substantial lead from Amour, Kochadhaman, Jokihat, Bahadurganj and Baisi.

The AIMIM was in the fray in 20 seats, a majority of which went to polls in the third phase on Saturday, as part of the Grand Democratic Secular Front.