Guwahati: Badruddin Ajmal had positioned himself as the messiah of Muslims in Assam, with his party, the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), as their saviour. However, the influence appears to be declining.
Election Results 2026
Vijay's TVK party has emerged as a formidable force in Tamil Nadu, while West Bengal election results show Mamata Banerjee lagging behind Suvendu Adhikari after the second round in Bhabanipur. The saffron sweep in Assam has nearly wiped out the AIUDF, which represented Muslim minorities in lower Assam and Barak Valley for two decades.
From 16 seats in 2021, the AIUDF has been reduced to just two of the 29 it contested. Perfume baron Ajmal won Binnakandi, while Mazibur Rahman retained Dalgaon. The Congress, which was in alliance with AIUDF in 2021, benefited from the party's loss. Even though voter turnout crossed 90% in Muslim-majority assembly constituencies of lower Assam, it did not translate into votes for Ajmal's party.
Factors Behind AIUDF's Decline
Political analyst Hafiz Rashid Ahmed Choudhury felt Ajmal's failure to project faces beyond his family did not bode well for the party. "Instead of fighting the election at such an old age and amid health issues, Ajmal could have projected someone else. This could have also sent a message to the public that AIUDF is a public party. A man who cannot walk properly became a candidate. These things indicate that they want to keep the party confined to their own family," Choudhury noted. He also believed that AIUDF was not seen as serious in safeguarding Muslims left out of the NRC or facing citizenship dilemmas. The party became a party of only the Ajmal family, he alleged.
While Ajmal won comfortably in the newly created Binnakandi seat in central Assam, there is a feeling that AIUDF's victory in the Muslim-dominated Dalgaon seat was aided by a split in opposition votes as well as Rahman's own efforts.
Rahman's Perspective
Rahman said this was not an election where AIUDF alone lost, but one where the entire opposition was defeated. "We thought Gaurav Gogoi would become the CM, but he lost. It is painful that he lost," said Rahman, who attributed his win to development work in his constituency. "I worked to build embankments, gave land pattas, and people voted for me," he pointed out.
The party is planning to hold an introspection meeting on May 6, which may be attended by Ajmal. After his victory, Ajmal took to social media to thank the people. "Will always remain grateful to the people. This victory belongs to the people," Ajmal wrote.
Candidate Selection Blamed
AIUDF sources blamed wrong selection of candidates as one reason for the debacle. "AIUDF's downfall may be due to wrong candidate selection in a few seats and confrontation with the Congress, unlike in the last election," said an AIUDF leader. With no representation in Parliament and only two seats in this election, is it the beginning of the end for Assam's only Muslim-focused party? Only time will tell.
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