Assam tribal council polls signal rise of perfume baron’s party

GUWAHATI: A 10-year-old party helmed by a perfume baron could turn out to be bigger challenge for the BJP than the ruling Congress in Assam, tribal council polls held this month have indicated.

The BJP is upbeat about its Mission 84 – the target number of seats in the 126-member House – for the 2016 assembly polls. Victories in seven of 14 LS seats last year and 38 of 74 local bodies have been its confidence-boosters. But its performance in the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) polls paled com-

VICTORIES IN SEVEN OF 14 LS SEATS LAST YEAR AND 38 OF 74 LOCAL BODIES HAVE BEEN ITS CONFIDENCE-BOOSTERS

pared to that of All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) led by perfume baron Badruddin Ajmal.

The BJP won 1 out of the maximum 40 seats it had contested while AIUDF bagged 4 out the 8 seats. The Congress, on the other hand, drew a blank. The BJP, Congress and AIUDF were all first-timers in the BTC polls.

Analysts say the AIUDF’s show in BTC was remarkable since tribal voters have traditionally been polarised towards the allegedly parochial Bodoland People’s Front, which has ruled the council since its creation in 2003.

A year after its birth, the AIUDF had won 10 seats in the 2006 assembly polls. In the 2011 polls, it won 18 seats to demonstrate its previous performance was no fluke. “Years ago, (CM) Tarun Gogoi asked ‘who is Badruddin?’ Today, his party is asking ‘where is Badruddin?’,” Ajmal said, indicating Congress was keen on a strategic alliance with his party to keep the BJP out in 2016.