Taking aim at Ajmal, the Congress MP described the AIUDF as a “crutch” for the ruling party and argued that Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was not the BJP’s only star campaigner.
/pratidin/media/member_avatars/2025/05/21/2025-05-21t080305049z-8.png)
New Update
/pratidin/media/media_files/2026/10/23/gaurav-gogoi-2026-10-23-12-12-26.jpg)
Guwahati: Assam Congress chief and Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi on Friday described All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal as the BJP’s “star campaigner”, alleging that the AIUDF was acting as a political support system for the ruling party in the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election.
Gogoi visited Zubeen Kshetra today and paid his respects to the legendary singer. While speaking to reporters, he questioned the fairness of the bypoll, asking whether the election had been conducted neutrally and sought to know what action had been taken over an alleged attack on a Congress vehicle.
“Was the election conducted in a neutral manner? Our vehicle was attacked. Was any action taken over it?” Gogoi asked.
Taking aim at Ajmal, the Congress MP alleged that the AIUDF chief had played a role that benefited the BJP. He described the AIUDF as a “crutch” for the ruling party and argued that Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was not the BJP’s only star campaigner.
“The BJP’s star campaigner was Ajmal. AIUDF is a crutch for the BJP,” Gogoi said.
Gogoi further alleged that the Election Commission of India, the BJP and the AIUDF had become indistinguishable.
“The Election Commission of India, BJP and AIUDF have now become one and the same,” he said.
In the recently concluded Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll, the BJP secured a decisive victory. Its candidate Devashish Sharma won the seat by a margin of more than 1.4 lakh votes, defeating Ajmal, while Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora finished third. According to reports citing Election Commission data, Sharma secured 7,13,622 votes, Ajmal received 5,70,413 votes, and Bora polled 1,28,743 votes.
The Nagaon seat fell vacant after former Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi resigned from the Lok Sabha and later joined the BJP. The Congress has repeatedly alleged that the BJP and AIUDF were politically aligned in the bypoll, a claim reflected in Gogoi’s latest remarks.