AIUDF’s third-front buzz in Assam falls flat after Owaisi’s AIMIM denies claim
Ajmal, during his Nagaon Central Jail visit, says jailed MLA Aminul Islam may contest the 2026 election from prison
File image of AIUDF chief, Maulana Badruddin Ajmal (Photo: @BadruddinAjmal/x)
Nagaon, Nov 19: Speculation over the emergence of a third minority front in Assam intensified on Wednesday after the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) said a party delegation would soon meet All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi.
“An AIUDF delegation will meet AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on December 2. If he intends to visit Assam, we will welcome him,” Maulana Badruddin Ajmal, chief, AIUDF told the press, during a visit to Nagaon Central Jail.
The planned meeting follows Ajmal’s remarks on November 17, when the AIUDF president hinted that the party may explore collaborations with AIMIM and Kerala’s UDF ahead of the 2026 polls.
However, AIMIM swiftly dismissed the claims as “blatantly false”, stating that the party had not decided to begin organisational work in Assam, let alone consider alliances for elections.
“There have been certain media reports of AIMIM in Assam. These reports are blatantly false. Neither has AIMIM decided to start operations in Assam, nor to enter into an alliance with any party in the state,” the party clarified in a social media post on Tuesday.
Ajmal had visited the jail to meet Dhing MLA Aminul Islam, who is currently lodged under the National Security Act (NSA) over remarks related to the Pahalgam attack.
Claiming that Islam’s incarceration would not affect his electoral prospects, Ajmal said, “Almost all candidates who have fought from jail, whether in Haryana or Maharashtra, have won 100% of the time. If the situation remains such, we are compelled to make him contest while he stays in jail.”
Taking aim at the Congress, Ajmal pointed to his reading of Assam’s voting arithmetic, asserting that 35% of the state’s population is Muslim.
“If the entire Muslim population votes for the Congress, even then they cannot win. On one side there is 35% Muslim population, while the remaining 65% will vote for the BJP” he said.
He also criticised Opposition leaders Gaurav Gogoi and Akhil Gogoi, alleging they lacked an understanding of ground realities. Ajmal claimed that Gaurav Gogoi “came from Delhi and does not know anything about Assam”, and accused Akhil Gogoi of acting as “the BJP’s agent”.
Earlier, while moving through the jail premises, security officials reportedly cautioned AIUDF leaders against staging demonstrations outside the prison. Ajmal said the party would approach the Supreme Court if required for the MLA’s release.