GUWAHATI: A visit to Barpeta and Dhubri Parliamentary constituencies on Assam’s western fringes do not provide any hint of what was once a rising political power in this region.
Perfume baron Maulana Badruddin Ajmal, who is the Dhubri MP and chief of minority-based All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), is, perhaps, facing the toughest battle in many years, in what was once his stronghold. Yet, everything seems quiet.
In both seats where the Bengali-speaking Muslims are in a large majority, the AIUDF is faced with a dip in popularity— blamed on the party’s increasing grassroots disconnect.
This was evident from its dismal show in last year’s panchayat elections when its Muslims votes largely shifted to the Congress.
Until 2016 or so, the AIUDF was a powerhouse in the two Parliamentary seats which comprise 10 Assembly segments each.
These seats were Congress bastions until the emergence of AIUDF in 2005. From then on, the Muslims have largely voted for the AIUDF in all elections. This Lok Sabha polls, however, the AIUDF finds itself on a sticky wicket.
Assam has 14 Lok Sabha seats and the AIUDF is contesting just three of them, down from six in 2014.
The climb-down has encouraged the BJP to campaign aggressively against the Congress- telling voters that the Congress has a tacit understanding with the minority-based party to avoid a split in Muslim votes. Ajmal admitted as much when he said, “Congress wanted to finish us off but we are helping them.”
The AIUDF may be helping the Congress but the latter has not shown any mercy to the Ajmal-led party, fielding strong candidates in Karimganj, Barpeta and Dhubri seats where the party, led by the perfume baron, has also fielded candidates.
Ajmal battling a dip in popularity
In both seats where the Bengali-speaking Muslims are in a large majority, the AIUDF is faced with a dip in popularity.
The same was fairly evident from its dismal show in last year’s panchayat elections when its Muslims votes largely shifted to the Congress.