The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) - the second-most powerful opposition party in Assam - has decided to contest only from three of the state's 14 Lok Sabha seats in the upcoming elections. The reason for this move, the party said, was to prevent a division in the secular vote from helping the BJP.
The three Muslim-dominated seats of Dhubri, Karimganj and Barpeta were won by the AIUDF in the 2014 elections. Party chief Maulana Badruddin Ajmal is the sitting parliamentarian from Dhubri.
"We have supported the United Progressive Alliance for the last 10 years. This is why we decided to contest the elections only from the seats we won last time... we do not want to divide the anti-BJP vote," AIUDF general secretary Aminul Islam told NDTV.
Mr Islam, however, clarified that his party is not in an understanding with the Congress. "In fact, the Congress is our main opponent in the three seats we have decided to contest from," he said.
The AIUDF had earlier declared that it will contest eight of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam.
The BJP lashed out at both the parties, saying that there was a "secret understanding" between them. "It has now become clear that there is a tacit understanding between the AIUDF and the Congress in Assam. They are helping each other in an attempt to polarise votes. However, the nationalist people of Assam will bring them down," said Assam BJP chief Ranjeet Dass.
While the AIUDF did not perform well in the state panchayat polls held late last year, the BJP won around 50% of the total seats.
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