AIUDF Supports NDA Candidate For RS In Assam
All Three Candidates In Fray To Be Elected Unopposed
Guwahati: In a surprising move, the MLAs from the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) in Assam on Thursday extended support to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Pramod Boro for the Rajya Sabha election.
Mr Boro, the chief of the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL), formally filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha on Thursday along with two candidates of the BJP. His nomination required the backing of at least 20 MLAs, and the list of supporting legislators included members from the AIUDF, a party widely seen as a political rival of the BJP.
Informing that three AIUDF legislators signed in support of Mr Boro’s nomination, sources said that the MLAs who extended their support included Karim Uddin Barbhuiya, Nizam Uddin Choudhury, and Zakir Hussain Laskar.
Earlier the AIUDF was pushing for the name of AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal as a joint opposition candidate for the third Rajya Sabha seat. However, the backing of the NDA candidate by AIUDF MLAs has now made it evident about shifting political equations in Assam.
Mr Boro, who recently contested the Bodoland Territorial Council elections but lost to Mr Hagrama Mohilary, remains a key ally of the BJP within the NDA in the state.
It is significant that with no candidates contesting from the opposition, the three NDA candidates are set to be elected unopposed if their nomination papers are found in order.
Assam has seven seats in the Rajya Sabha. The three seats are vacant next month when the terms of sitting MPs Bhubaneswar Kalita, Rameswar Teli of BJP and Ajit Kumar Bhuyan of Assam Gana Morcha will come to end on April 9.