Guwahati: Opposition unity in Assam suffered yet another setback as AIUDF rejected Congress’s alliance call for the Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll.AIUDF president Badruddin Ajmal announced former All Assam Minorities Students’ Union leader Rejaul Karim Sarkar as the party’s candidate for the bypoll, likely to be held later this year.Earlier, Congress leader Ripun Bora appealed to AIUDF to join forces to keep the BJP-led NDA at bay. Unconfirmed reports suggest IAS officer Devasish Sharma could be BJP’s candidate.“We will field our candidate in the Nagaon by-election. He will be Rejaul Karim, the former AAMSU leader,” Ajmal told reporters in Sivasagar on Wednesday evening, adding that he would campaign in Nagaon.Ajmal attacked Congress, accusing it of having “ruined” the country and Assam. “Congress is BJP’s B-team. We are not,” he alleged, adding that the party’s Sivasagar strategy would remain confidential.The seat fell vacant after the sitting Congress MP resigned from Parliament and the party shortly before this year’s assembly elections. He later joined BJP and won the Dispur assembly seat in Guwahati.Sarkar said he would be happier if Ajmal contested from Nagaon. “We will give full support to him (Ajmal) to send him to Delhi. But it is up to him to decide who will be our party’s candidate from Nagaon,” he said.Urging Congress to support the AIUDF candidate, Sarkar said: “Let Congress lead by example. Since we have first decided to field a candidate from Nagaon, Congress should support us.”Sarkar quit as AAMSU president before the assembly polls and joined Congress before switching to AIUDF. He contested from Srijangram but lost.
