GUWAHATI: To thwart possible horse-trading by the BJP, Assam’s minority-based All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) on Friday sent all its candidates of the recently-concluded Assembly elections to Congress-ruled Rajasthan in a chartered plane.
“All of us have just landed in Rajasthan. The Rajasthan Chief Minister (Ashok Gehlot) has made arrangements for our stay,” one of the AIUDF candidates said.
He said AIUDF chief, Maulana Badruddin Ajmal, had not accompanied the team. “He is in Mumbai,” the candidate said.
The results of the keenly-contested Assam elections will be declared on May 2.
Speculations are rife the 20 AIUDF candidates could be taken further to Dubai from Rajasthan. AIUDF sources could not say when exactly they will return to Assam.
The AIUDF is a component of Assam’s 10-party and Congress-led grand alliance of Opposition. It was formed two months back to oust the BJP from power.
AIUDF sources said the candidates would visit Ajmer Sharif during their stay. They will be provided with separate mobile phones so that others cannot contact them, the sources said.
The AIUDF is not taking any chances given past experiences. In the last Manipur elections, the Congress had bagged 28 of the 60 seats and the BJP had won 22 but it managed to cobble up the numbers as some MLAs defected and form the government.