AIUDF’s only Hindu MLA Talukdar joins BJP in Assam
The only Hindu MLA of the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) Phanidhar Talukdar who had, on Tuesday, resigned from the primary membership of the party, on Wednesday joined the ruling BJP, citing larger interest of the people of his constituency and Assam.
First-time MLA from Bhawanipur, Mr Talukdar, however, said, “I had no problem with the AIUDF but I am very impressed with the work of Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Therefore, in the larger interest of the people of my constituency I have decided to resign from the seat.”
In his resignation letter to the AIUDF president, Mr Talukdar said that he was stepping down from the post of secretary of the AIUDF legislative unit with immediate effect. “In addition, I am also withdrawing my primary membership of the AIUDF party in the larger interest of the people of my constituency and the people of Assam,” he said in his resignation letter.
Mr Talukdar had joined the AIUDF six months before the Assembly elections in March this year. Prior to that, he had unsuccessfully contested as an Independent candidate from the Bhabanipur
constituency in Bajali district in 2011 and 2016. In the 2021 election, he won by about 3,000 votes against NDA ally Asom Gana Parishad’s candidate, Ranjit Deka.
Mr Talukdar also resigned from his MLA seat and this has necessitated bypolls on six seats in Assam. Apart from Bhabanipur there are five constituencies — Tamulpur, Gossaigaon in Bodoland, and Mariani, Majuli, Thowra in Upper Assam -- which are scheduled to go for bypolls in next few months.
Prior to Mr Talukdar, two prominent Congress faces — Mariani MLA Rupjyoti Kurmi and Thowra MLA Sushanta Borgohain — joined the saffron party in June and July respectively.
Mr Talukdar’s resignation has come a day after the Assam Congress announced that it would sever ties with its partner, accusing AIUDF leadership of continuously praising the ruling BJP.
The strength of the AIUDF in the 126-member Assembly is now 15. The minority-based party was one of the 10 that contested the Assembly polls as “Mahajot”, or grand alliance with the Congress in Assam.