Assam polls: Congress, AIUDF await Sonia Gandhi’s nod for alliance

GUWAHATI: The alliance between Congress and minority-based All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) in poll-bound Assam has been more or less finalised although both parties are awaiting Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s stamp of approval.

AIUDF chief and Lok Sabha member, Maulana Badruddin Ajmal, said he was 100% confident about the truck.

“As far as our alliance with the Congress is concerned, we feel a formal announcement will be made before December. We are waiting for Sonia Gandhi’s approval,” Ajmal said.

He also said that Congress general secretary in-charge of Assam Jitendra Singh, who was in the state recently, had been briefed by the state Congress leadership of the possible alliance.

The Congress said Singh would submit a report to the party’s central leadership based on his assessment of the political situation and it would take a call.

“We are a national party and as such, our party high command makes decisions. We can only suggest. The Congress’s core committee had in August made a suggestion to the high command on the formation of a grand alliance of opposition parties. He (Singh) studied everything and will submit a report to the high command. It will decide if there will be an alliance and if yes, with which party or parties,” Assam Congress spokesman Rituparna Konwar told this newspaper.

He said as of now, there were no hurdles. Once the alliance is finalised and a formal announcement made, the two parties will discuss related issues, including seat-sharing arrangement, he added.

A few months ago, when the Congress proposed the formation of the grand alliance to oust the BJP from power, Ajmal had endorsed it. He said the AIUDF would be a part of the formation. The Congress said the Left parties had already confirmed their participation in the envisaged grand alliance while a regional ally of the BJP was sending feelers to join it.

The AIUDF, which is seen by many as having floated to protect the interests of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, was open to an alliance with the Congress in the last election but former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi of the grand old party was opposed to it. He feared the alliance could harm the Congress in Upper Assam where a strong sentiment of Assamese nationalism works.

Assam will go to polls early next year.