Assam delivers high strike rate for Congress Muslim candidates despite overall setbacks

Assembly election outcomes across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry delivered a varied performance for the Indian National Congress and its allies, with a notably high success rate among Muslim candidates in select states.

Congress ended a decade-long drought in Kerala, where the United Democratic Front (UDF) secured a significant share of Muslim representation. Of the 35 Muslim MLAs elected in the state, 30 belong to the alliance, including eight from Congress and 22 from the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).

The IUML also marked a milestone with Fathima Thahiliya’s victory in Perambra, making her the party’s first Muslim woman MLA after defeating CPI(M) leader T P Ramakrishnan.

In Assam, Congress recorded a high strike rate among Muslim candidates, with 18 of the 20 it fielded winning their seats. This contrasted sharply with its overall performance, as only one of its 79 non-Muslim candidates secured victory out of 101 seats contested. The party’s ally, Raijor Dal, won two seats, including one by its leader Akhil Gogoi.

Several constituencies in Assam saw large winning margins for Congress candidates. Abdul Sobahan Ali Sarkar won Gauripur by over 19,000 votes, while Aftab Mollah secured Jaleshwar with a margin exceeding one lakh votes. Tanzil Hussain recorded a similar margin in Samaguri against BJP’s Anil Saikia. In multiple seats, including Algapur-Katlicherra, margins crossed 100,000 votes.

The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) criticised Congress’s strategy. Its president Badruddin Ajmal said the party had “finished in Assam” and accused it of attempting to weaken AIUDF, adding that the Congress had effectively become a “Muslim League”.

Despite these gains, Congress lagged behind the Bharatiya Janata Party in Assam’s overall vote share, securing 29.84 per cent against the BJP’s 37.81 per cent.

In West Bengal, Congress managed to win two seats, both in constituencies with sizeable Muslim populations, and fielded more Muslim candidates than the All India Trinamool Congress. Tamil Nadu saw limited representation, with only one of the two Muslim candidates fielded by Congress emerging victorious.

Overall, Muslim candidates backed by Congress and its allies recorded a strong success rate, crossing 80 per cent in states such as Kerala and Assam. In Kerala, the combined vote share of Congress and IUML stood at 39.80 per cent, underlining the alliance’s consolidated support base.