All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) only Hindu Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Bhabanipur, Phanidhar Talukdar resigned on Tuesday from the said party. The former AIUDF member will be joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on September 1.
Only Hindu MLA from AIUDF resigns
On Tuesday, AIUDF member and only Hindu MLA from Bhabanipur, Phanidhar Talukdar resigned from the party while citing that it is for the larger interest of the people of his constituency and Assam.
He says that he’s all set to join the BJP on September 1.
Talukdar tells The Indian Express, “I had no problem with the AIUDF but I am very impressed with the work done by the BJP, especially Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Therefore, I am sacrificing my seat for the betterment of my constituency.”
“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,” Talukdar says in his resignation letter which is addressed to the president of the AIUDF.
In the letter, he says that he is stepping down from his post as the secretary of the AIUDF legislative unit immediately.
Talukdar’s work during his time in AIUDF
In March the Assembly elections took place, however, Talukdar joined the AIUDF 6 months before that. Before this, he was an independent candidate from the Bhabanipur constituency in Bajali district in 2011 and 2016 but was unsuccessful in the contests.
In the 2021 election, against the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ally Asom Gana Parishad candidate Ranjit Deka he won by 3000 votes.
His resignation from his post opens up another constituency for a bypoll, other than Bhabanipur, bypolls to at least 5 constituencies (Tamulpur, Gossaigaon in Bodoland, and Mariani, Majuli, Thowra in Upper Assam) are scheduled in the next coming months.
Resignation news right after Congress sever ties
Congress announced that it will sever ties with its partner, implying the AIUDF leaderships’ mysterious and continuous praise for the BJP.
This hasn’t been the first time that an MLA has joined BJP since Himanta Biswa Sarma became the chief minister in May. Talukdar is the third MLA to do so as 2 notable faces of the Congress party — Mariani MLA Rupjyoti Kurmi and Thowra MLA Sushanta Borgohain — joined the ruling party in June and July respectively.