By TCN staff reporter,
Guwahati: Just two days are left for the results of Assam elections 2011. The two-phased elections to 126 constituencies were held on April 4 and 11, and the counting is scheduled on May 13. An estimated 76.03 percent of Assam’s nearly 18 million voters exercised their franchise to decide the fate of 986 candidates in the fray. Political parties have increased their momentum about possible alliance formation and are busy negotiating on possible supports in the formation of the next government. There is clearly an indication of a hung assembly. No single party will get the absolute majority to form government. Opposition parties are leaving no stone unturned to form a non-Congress government while the Congress is confident of forming the third consecutive government in the state.
A campaign poster of AIUDF president Badruddin Ajmal
Two groups are visible in terms of alliance formation – Congress and non-Congress. The non-Congress team is led by the AGP, the BJP and others while the Congress team is led by the Congress and the BPF. Both the teams are maintaining that they will form the next government. AIUDF belonged to none of this group and hence its importance is highly visible. The Congress has its pre-poll partnership with BPF while others contested on their own. Major party positions of 2006 election shows that out of 126 seats Congress won 53 while the other parties’ seats were as follows: BPF – 11, AGP – 24, BJP -10, AIUDF – 10. Poll experts are of the opinion that the winning seats of the Congress will go down especially in lower Assam with the AIUDF overpowering it in many constituencies. AIUDF party workers are of the opinion that they will definitely win more than 17 seats. If this figure comes true, then definitely AIUDF will be in a position to bargain with other parties in the formation of the government. Most of the political parties have realized the importance of the AIUDF at this juncture. Meanwhile the AIUDF supremo announced that they would come to a concrete decision only after the election results are out and they were open to support any alliance except the BJP. It is not clear which side would finally get the blessings of the AIUDF as Ajmal had ‘personal’ meeting with the AGP leaders as well he also met the Congress leaders in Delhi. AIUDF has also cleared its route by removing its founder working president Hafiz Rashid Choudhury who was opposing party’s support to the Congress.
Ajmal and his party will definitely be the Kingmaker of Assam election 2011 and interesting developments and twists are waiting till the results are out on May 13.