Assam-based party AIUDF (All India United Democratic Front) is on the verge of extinction. The party was formed in the Eastern State of Assam in 2005 on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Since its inception, the party has satisfactorily performed in Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. Since its inception in all Lok Sabha elections, barring 2024, its founder president, Badruddin Ajmal, has won the Dhubri Lok Sabha seat by a handsome margin. At its apex in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, the AIUDF won three seats. The AIUDF got more seats than AIMIM ( All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen). In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the AIMIM got two seats, while since 1989, barring 2019, the AIMIM is winning only one seat in Hyderabad.
In Assembly elections since 2006 the AIUDF has been winning seats in double digit. In 2006 the party won 10 seats while in the last Assembly election the party has won 16 seats.In the 2011 Assembly election in Assam, the AIUDF’s performance was its best when the party won 18 seats. Again even in its first Assembly election in 2006 the AIUDF surpassed AIMIM performance in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh or current Telangana Assembly poll performance as AIMIM never won seats in Assembly in double digit.
But now, the AIUDF party is on the way to extinction. The AIUDF, in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, lost its political base seat of Dhubri. On this seat, the Congress party candidate Rakibul Hussain defeated Badruddin Ajmal. This defeat was a huge shock for Badruddin Ajmal and the AIUDF too. Rakibul Hussain defeated Badruddin Ajmal by a huge margin of more than 10 lakh votes. None else but the party’s supremo Badruddin Ajmal, who was winning the seat without any break for the last three times successively, had lost miserably in the 2024 LS election. Not only this, but the biggest surprise of the Dhubri Lok Sabha seat is that on none of the 11 Assembly segments, the AIUDF took the lead. In 2024, out of 126 Assembly segments on none of the ACs, the AIUDF was able to establish the lead. This is a further setback for the party.
The severe defeat inflicted on Dhubri Lok Sabha seat is the start of the extinction process of the AIUDF. Badruddin Ajmal’s severe defeat in Dhubri had lowered morale of the cadres of the party. It will be extremely tough for the AIUDF leadership to re-energise the cadres of the party. In coming days it is expected that the cadres of the party will desert the party and switch themselves to other parties.
Dhubri Lok Sabha seat has the distinction of having the highest voting percentage in the 2014, 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The change in voting patterns on the seat is also disgusting. In the 2009 Lok Sabha election, the seat had nearly 67 per cent voting, while in 2014, 2019 and 2024, the voting percentage was 88.36, 90.66 and 92.08. In the last three elections, the seat has had the highest voting percentage among all 543 Lok Sabha seats in India.
