BREAKING: Former AIUDF Vice-President Karim Uddin Barbhuiya Joins AGP

Former All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) Vice-President Karim Uddin Barbhuiya on Monday officially joined the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) after tendering his resignation last week. Barbhuiya, who is also an MLA from Sonai, resigned after he was suspended by AIUDF for alleged anti-party activities.

Barbhuiya reached the AGP’s head office in Guwahati’s Ambari, where the joining ceremony was organised. AGP president and Assam cabinet minister Atul Bora, working president Keshab Mahanta, and other senior party leaders presided over the event in which several other leaders and workers also pledged their allegiance to the party.

Having previously clarified that his destination would be AGP, Barbhuiya today said, "Apart from me, several other Congress leaders and workers have joined the AGP today. I can say that now, Sonai has become Congress-free effectively. We are going to complete all their joining within the next week."

"The people of Sonai want to see you, they look up to you, and they will be very happy if you visit. The people of Sonai will gift the constituency to AGP, which I am hopeful about. I will work to take the party forward," he added.

The joining comes as the political atmosphere in Assam gets heated with the assembly election nearing. As such, the last few weeks have seen several leaders shift allegiances to fulfill the political ambitions.

Barbhuiya was suspended by AIUDF on March 4 and resigned the following day, informing about his decision on social media. He had written, “Today I have decided to resign from AIUDF. The decision was taken after consulting people from Sonai and various other sections of society.”

Notably, three AIUDF MLAs, including Barbhuiya, had signed in support of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Pramod Boro’s nomination for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections. The move came as a shock as the AIUDF had been projecting its president, Badruddin Ajmal, for the third Rajya Sabha seat from Assam.

In a subsequent press conference, the party claimed that due to a lack of sufficient backing from the Congress, the NDA got a free path to field its candidate for the third seat from Assam.

Also Read: AIUDF Suspends MLAs for Anti-Party Activities; Karim Uddin Barbhuiya Resigns