Ajmal’s AIUDF claims ‘5-6 BJP contestants’ in their touch to support Grand Alliance

Guwahati/Silchar, April 13 (PTI): The AIUDF on Tuesday claimed that “five-six BJP contestants” in the just concluded Assam Assembly elections have contacted the party promising support to the Congress-led Grand Alliance of which Badruddin Ajmal’s outfit is a constituent.

Karim Uddin Barbhuiya, one of the around 20 AIUDF candidates who were flown to Jaipur last week due to fear of poaching by the saffron party, told PTI, “five-six BJP contestants have contacted me offering their support to the Grand Alliance”.

Asked who the BJP candidates were, Barbhuiya, who is All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) General Secretary said, “the names cannot be disclosed now. You will know after May two (the day) the results are declared”.

The BJP has rubbished the claim.

To another query as to whether the saffron party candidates were from the Barak or Brahmaputra valley, the AIUDF leader said, “they are from all over Assam”.

On being pointed out that the BJP contestants if victorious support the Grand Alliance will come under anti-defection law, the AIUDF nominee for Sonai constituency said, “they will contest again”.

About media reports of 20 AIUDF contestants being packed off to Rajasthan a few days ago fearing horse-trading, Barbhuiya denied the reports and claimed they had gone there on “pleasure trip and to visit Ajmer Sharif Dargah for relaxing after hectic electioneering”.

Saying he had returned to Assam Monday, the AIUDF leader informed the others would arrive in the state Wednesday.

About 20 candidates of the Congress-led alliance in the Assam state polls were flown to Jaipur Friday with the party claiming it feared “horse trading” by the BJP.

They were hosted at Hotel Fairmont on the outskirts of Jaipur.

It is the same hotel where Rajasthan Congress MLAs were lodged during a political crisis triggered by the rebellion of party leader Sachin Pilot against chief minister Ashok Gehlot last year.

Meanwhile, on being contacted BJP Chief Spokesman Rupam Goswami strongly denied the AIUDF claim, asserting “none of our contestants have contacted the opposition party. Our’s is a disciplined party and its members do no contact other political parties without informing our party leadership”.

“There is no question of contacting the AIUDF as our BJP will win the elections and form government in Assam again”, Goswami said.

The BJP’s chief spokesman mockingly said, “this must be the first time in the history of the country that a political party is claiming contestants of other parties are contacting it even before the poll results are declared”.

Elections to the 126-member Assam assembly was held in three phases between March 27 and April six and results will come on May 2 along with other poll-bound states.