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AIUDF hopeful of bagging four Lok Sabha seats

By PRANJAL BHUYAN

GUWAHATI, March 11 - The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) is targeting to win at least four seats in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.

The Badruddin Ajmal-led party is also gearing up to go solo in the General Election solo after its efforts to cobble together a united front of anti-BJP parties in the State failed to materialise.

�We are targeting to win at least four seats in the Lok Sabha polls. We have sitting MPs in Dhubri, Barpeta and Karimganj constituencies. In addition, we have a very good organisational base and grassroot presence in other seats like Nagaon, Kaliabor, Silchar and Mangaldoi. As such, we are confident that our party will secure no less than four seats,� AIUDF general secretary Aminul Islam told The Assam Tribune.

Islam admitted that AIUDF�s efforts to enter into tie-ups with other non-BJP parties like the Congress and the AGP have failed to yield result.

�The general body of our party had passed a resolution calling for formation of a united platform of anti-BJP parties in Assam. It would have been prudent if AIUDF, Congress and AGP had been able to come together for the sake of keeping the BJP away from power. We had requested both the Congress and the AGP to consider the matter. But it seems none of the other parties took the issue with the kind of seriousness it deserved,� rued the AIUDF leader.

Islam, known as a confidante of party president Ajmal, added that AIUDF is now gearing up to contest the election on its own. The party is likely to field candidates from at least seven constituencies.

�Preparations for the parliamentary polls are on in full swing and our teams have spread out across the State. All our senior leaders are out campaigning in the field,� he said.

Asked about the party�s list of candidates for the Lok Sabha election, Islam said, �We are at present adopting a wait and watch policy. We will announce the names of our candidates shortly.�

Even though the party is known for drawing its main support base from among the Bengali-speaking Muslim electorate, Islam added that AIUDF will give candidature to people from diverse communities in the coming election.

�It has never been our practice to nominate only Muslims. Since the inception of our party, we have allotted tickets to people from all communities, whether in the panchayat polls, in election to the local urban bodies, in Assembly election or during Lok Sabha polls. It is only the BJP, the Congress and sections of the media who falsely accuse us of being a communal party. This time also, our list of candidates will feature nominees from diverse communities, including Assamese and Bengali-speaking Hindus and Muslims, general castes and Schedule Castes, and so on,� he said.

It may be recalled that AIUDF had emerged victorious in three out of the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies of Assam in the 2014 parliamentary polls.

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