AIUDF won’t split votes, will contest only winnable seats in 2026, says Ajmal

Dhubri, Dec 18: The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) has outlined its roadmap ahead of the 2026 Assam Assembly elections, saying the party will contest only those seats where it believes it has a realistic chance of winning.

Addressing a workers’ meeting in Dhubri on Thursday, AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal said the party would field candidates in around 35 constituencies. “AIUDF does not believe in contesting elections merely to split votes,” he said.

Questioning the relevance of several political outfits in the state, Ajmal remarked that of the 17 parties in the fray, at least 15 had little or no presence on the ground.

Reiterating the party’s core agenda, he said AIUDF’s primary objective in the upcoming polls would be to dislodge the BJP from power in Assam.

He also reaffirmed the party’s opposition to alleged vote manipulation and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) process, stating that these issues would remain central to its campaign.

Ajmal was particularly critical of the Congress, accusing it of organisational weakness, especially in Upper Assam. He claimed the party would struggle to cross the 20-seat mark in the next elections.

Directly challenging the Congress leadership, Ajmal said that if Rahul Gandhi were to publicly assure that a Congress-led government in Assam would genuinely address the problems of minority communities, he would be willing to wind up the AIUDF.

He further accused the Congress of aligning with parties lacking grassroots support, alleging that it had compromised its political credibility.

Dismissing allegations branding AIUDF as the BJP’s “B Team”, Ajmal turned the charge on the Congress.

“If AIUDF is being called the BJP’s B Team, then Congress should be called the BJP’s A-plus team,” he said, alleging that senior Congress leaders had accepted money from Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. He claimed to possess evidence to back the allegation.

Ajmal also listed what he described as the BJP government’s failures and rejected the so-called “Miya issue” as a manufactured controversy, questioning whether it reflected any genuine public concern.

Accusing the Chief Minister of making derogatory remarks against the Muslim community, Ajmal questioned the moral authority behind such statements.

He described the Chief Minister’s style of functioning as authoritarian and alleged that Assam was witnessing unprecedented political oppression.

On his own electoral future, Ajmal said he may choose not to contest the Assembly elections, adding that the final decision would be taken by the party.