GUWAHATI
The activist-turned-MLA Akhil Gogoi, who represents Assam’s Sibsagar Assembly constituency, said the Badruddin Ajmal-led All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) was the ‘B-team’ of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
At a panchayat election rally for Raijor Dal, the party he heads, in western Assam’s Dhubri district on Tuesday (April 8, 2025), Mr. Gogoi said the two parties had been cooperating covertly for their communal brand of politics.
The two-phase panchayat elections across 25,007 polling stations will be held on May 2 and 7.
Mr. Gogoi said the leaders of the BJP and AIUDF put up a show of rivalry but scratched each other’s backs. “These two parties are two sides of the same coin, thriving on divisive politics. We must stop their design,” he said.
He accused the BJP of eroding democratic values and neglecting local needs by fuelling polarisation. “Governance has taken a backseat,” Mr. Gogoi said, asserting that the Raijor Dal would contest the panchayat election selectively to ensure the right candidates, who listened to the needs of the people, contested.
Mr. Gogoi said his party had weakened the AIUDF in some regions of Assam and would continue to do so.
The Raijor Dal is part of the Congress-led coalition of Opposition parties, minus the AIUDF, in Assam. Differences have arisen among some of the coalition partners.
Dhubri is one of 11 Assam districts where Muslims are the majority.
The AIUDF rejected Mr. Gogoi’s accusation.
‘Congress using Muslims’
The State BJP president Dilip Saikia said a weakened Congress continued to see Muslims as a vote bank after years of ignoring their real issues while in power.
“We must highlight the injustice and exploitation the Muslims suffered during the Congress rule. Checking the corruption in the Waqf Board is one of the corrective steps,” Mr. Saikia said, addressing party workers at a panchayat election-related meeting in western Assam’s Bajali district on Wednesday (April 9, 2025).
Mr. Saikia said a narrative had been created that the BJP was anti-Muslim. “Our party has an inclusive and structured approach, operating under a collective leadership model where all members are given equal importance,” he said.
He, however, hinted at a friction between the old and new party leaders and workers. “Our focus is on unity and collaboration between the senior and junior members,” the BJP leader said.
About 1.8 crore voters are expected to elect 21,920 gram panchayat (GP) members; 2,192 GP presidents, GP vice-presidents and anchalik panchayat (AP) members each; 181 AP presidents and AP vice-presidents each; and 397 Zila Panchayat members.
The results will be announced on May 11.
