GUWAHATI: Fearing horse-trading, Congress on Friday morning flew out 18 of the 19 candidates of AIUDF, its ally in the “mahajot” in Assam, to a hotel on the outskirts of Jaipur, three weeks ahead of the results. However, AIUDF president and Badruddin Ajmal’s millionaire brother, Sirajuddin, has not joined the group.
The three-phase election in Assam got over on April 6. The “mahajot’s” other major ally, the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) led by Hagrama Mohilary, has also shifted all its 11 candidates to a hotel in Kokrajhar, also fearing horse-trading.
The AIUDF MLAs were accompanied by AICC secretary and co-in-charge of Assam Prithiviraj Sathe in the same flight from Guwahati to Jaipur. Meanwhile, AIUDF turncoat Aziz Khan, who contested on an AGP ticket from Karimganj South after being denied a ticket by Ajmal, on Friday visited his former party chief at his home here. Both Khan and Ajmal said the conversation was not on horse-trading but was a chat between two old friends.