Congress dumps Raijor Dal, seeks Badruddin Ajmal’s support for Nagaon bypoll: Assam BJP

The Assam unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party has accused the Congress of severing its alliance with Raijor Dal to pave the way for an understanding with the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) ahead of the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election.

In a statement on September 4, the BJP alleged that the Congress-Raijor Dal alliance, formed ahead of the 2026 Assam Assembly election to prevent a division of the indigenous vote, had been decisively rejected by voters.

The BJP said the BJP-led alliance won 102 of the 126 Assembly seats, while the Congress was reduced to 19 seats. It also highlighted the alliance’s performance in Upper Assam, North Assam and Middle Assam, claiming victories in 33 of 35, 14 of 15 and 14 of 19 constituencies, respectively.

The BJP said the collapse of the Congress-Raijor Dal alliance was a “natural consequence” of the electorate’s rejection of the arrangement.

The ruling party further alleged that Congress and the AIUDF have shared a “covert political understanding” for several years, pointing to the Rajya Sabha election in March 2020, when Ajit Kumar Bhuyan was elected with the combined support of Congress and AIUDF.

The BJP also cited the 2021 Assam Assembly election, when Congress and AIUDF formally allied, but said voters rejected the arrangement and returned the BJP-led alliance to power for a second consecutive term.

The BJP alleged that the two parties subsequently benefited from mutual electoral arrangements during the 2019 Lok Sabha election. It claimed that Congress fielded a relatively weak candidate in Dhubri, facilitating AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal’s victory, while AIUDF did not field a candidate against Gaurav Gogoi in Kaliabor.

The BJP further alleged that AIUDF stayed out of the contest in 11 Lok Sabha constituencies, including Nagaon, indirectly benefiting Congress candidates.

According to the BJP, the alleged understanding between Congress and AIUDF is driven by calculations surrounding the minority Muslim vote, with a division of votes potentially hurting both parties.

Against this backdrop, the BJP claimed that Congress now considers an understanding with Ajmal’s AIUDF more electorally advantageous than continuing its alliance with Raijor Dal led by Akhil Gogoi.

The BJP described the Congress move as an attempt to “climb onto the shoulders of Badruddin Ajmal” for political survival ahead of the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election.

The Congress and AIUDF have not immediately responded to the allegations.