03-14-2006, 06:42 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Muslim party marginalised </b>
Pioneer News Service / Guwahati
A newly floated Muslim-based political party in Assam has got marginalised even before it was able to test its strength in next month's Assembly elections with no parties willing to ally with them.
The Asom United Democratic Front (AUDF) was shunned by almost all major political formations despite desperate efforts at having an alliance to contest the elections.
It was a major surprise for the AUDF that was formed in 2005 with as many as 12 religious and linguistic minority groups, led by th<b>e Assam chapter of the Jamiat-Ulama-e-Hind, supporting the party.</b>
The AUDF was formed soon after the Supreme Court on July 2005 repealed the controversial Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act. The 22-year-old Act was replaced with the Foreigners Act of 1946.
<b>Assam Jamiat Ulema president Badruddin Azmal </b>had gone on record saying the <b>religious and linguistic minorities in Assam would not vote for the Congress as the party failed to defend the IMDT Act from being repealed.</b>
The AUDF was hoping that it would be able to enlist the support of Assam's main Opposition Asom Gana Parishad. "We had about eight rounds of talks with the AUDF for an electoral understanding. Finally we decided against an alliance as the AUDF was found to be espousing the cause of a religious community and did not have acceptability among the masses," a senior AGP leader requesting anonymity said.
<b>Muslims in Assam, who account for about 30 per cent of the State's 26 million people,</b> have for decades been at the centrestage of electoral politics with the community holding the key in at least 40 of the 126 Assembly constituencies.
The Muslims and the Bengali-speaking linguistic minority voters in Assam were traditionally Congress supporters.
It was widely believed that the AUDF would be able to cut into the traditional Muslim vote bank of the Congress. But the party's lack of matured leadership had led to the AUDF's downfall even before the elections were fought.
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Pioneer News Service / Guwahati
A newly floated Muslim-based political party in Assam has got marginalised even before it was able to test its strength in next month's Assembly elections with no parties willing to ally with them.
The Asom United Democratic Front (AUDF) was shunned by almost all major political formations despite desperate efforts at having an alliance to contest the elections.
It was a major surprise for the AUDF that was formed in 2005 with as many as 12 religious and linguistic minority groups, led by th<b>e Assam chapter of the Jamiat-Ulama-e-Hind, supporting the party.</b>
The AUDF was formed soon after the Supreme Court on July 2005 repealed the controversial Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act. The 22-year-old Act was replaced with the Foreigners Act of 1946.
<b>Assam Jamiat Ulema president Badruddin Azmal </b>had gone on record saying the <b>religious and linguistic minorities in Assam would not vote for the Congress as the party failed to defend the IMDT Act from being repealed.</b>
The AUDF was hoping that it would be able to enlist the support of Assam's main Opposition Asom Gana Parishad. "We had about eight rounds of talks with the AUDF for an electoral understanding. Finally we decided against an alliance as the AUDF was found to be espousing the cause of a religious community and did not have acceptability among the masses," a senior AGP leader requesting anonymity said.
<b>Muslims in Assam, who account for about 30 per cent of the State's 26 million people,</b> have for decades been at the centrestage of electoral politics with the community holding the key in at least 40 of the 126 Assembly constituencies.
The Muslims and the Bengali-speaking linguistic minority voters in Assam were traditionally Congress supporters.
It was widely believed that the AUDF would be able to cut into the traditional Muslim vote bank of the Congress. But the party's lack of matured leadership had led to the AUDF's downfall even before the elections were fought.
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