By TwoCircles.net correspondent,
New Delhi: Assam United Democratic Front (AUDF) lead by Maulana Badruddin Ajmal is planning to contest eight of the fourteen Lok Sabha seats of Assam. Party insiders suggest that at least five seats are winnable.
Talking to TwoCircles.net, party General Secretary Dr. Baharul Islam said that candidates for some of the seats have been decided already and short lists made for other seats. Maulana Badruddin Ajmal will contest from Silchar and will face Union Heavy Industries Minister Santosh Mohan Dev. Dev has represented Silchar in Lok Sabha seven times, losing to BJP in 1998. Maulana Ajmal is currently the MLA representing Salmara South that falls under Dhubri Lok Sabha constituency.
The Lok Sabha seats that AUDF will be contesting are – Dhubri, Barpeta, Silchar, Karimganj, Nagaon, Kaliabor, Tezpur, and Mangaldoi.
Party spokesman Dr. Baharul Islam said that they are in the process of making the third front in the state which will include Trinamul Congress, Samajwadi Party, and Nationalist Congress Party. Apart from AUDF which has 10 MLAs in the state assembly, other three parties have minimal presence.
Meanwhile in an important development a tribal girl who was stripped naked in Guwahati a year ago has joined the AUDF. Lakshmi Oraon was abused while participating in a demonstration by All Assam Adivasi Students Association demanding ST status for tribals in the state capital last November. She joined the party along with her family members last week. This is expected to broaden the vote base of the
party.
Formed just few weeks before Assam assembly elections of 2006, AUDF shocked everyone by winning 10 assembly seats.
Link:
http://www.udf.in/