For years despite practising a brand of politics that favored Muslims through unapologetic minorytism, parties like the Congress and more recently regional outfits like Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, UP and Lalu Yadav’s Rashtriya Janatad Dal, RJD in Bihar, never really had a consolidated bloc of Muslim Voters they could rely on elections after elections. Sensing an opportunity in exposing the hollow minorytism practised by the likes of Congress, SP, RJD and more specifically AGP in Assam, a group of muslim outfits under the leadership of a Businessman turned Politician Badruddin Ajmal formed the Assam United Democratic Front or AUDF.

The Ajmal experiment in Assam paid off rich dividends with the AUDF contesting in 69 seats and winning 10, contrast this with the BJP contesting 125 seats and also winning only 10. What is astounding is the vote percentages with which the AUDF supported Muslim candidates won the elections in these 10 seats. For example in Bilasipara West in Assam the total turnout was 82%, which is very high for any election in India, however the winning Muslim candidate from AUDF polled only 24% of the votes. In Katigora which had nearly 70% voter turnout, the winning Muslim candidate from AUDF polled only 37%. Badruddin Ajmal himself in Jamunamukh which had a voter turnout close to 80% polled less than 50%. The story is pretty much the same in the rest of the seats save a couple. The lesson from Assam seems to be that despite a fragmented polity, there was sufficient consolidation of Muslim votes behind an upapologetically Muslim Political Outfit to ensure electoral victory despite very high overall voter turnouts.

Who gave right to falsify and distort the history for their own need and greed?

Jai Hind!
कृषीदेश

Dhanya ho mere bhaag!! Finally, I come across someone – even if on the internet – who is blessed with divya drishti.

Or merely projecting/wishful thinking?

As for your broader themes, I am very happy to find a “common ground” and yield to “potentially correct alternative perceptions”. I will look forward to reading your views/ counter-points on some of the issues I have raised – especially about your home state (which is?) about which you suggest I do not know enough.

I am willing to be educated – and even more willing to be corrected.

As for “That is the problem with using details to generalize- much truth in the details but inaccurate conclusions…”

Unfortunately a lot of what is being discussed and debated here is something that is hard to prove or disprove empirically and one therefore relies on history, past experiences and one’s own world view to draw conclusions…Who is to say which of these alternative interpretations are right? Only time will tell.

Having said that, alternative interpretations do enrich the discussion (in my view), so they are very welcome here.

“I hope you will acknowledge in your discussions that masses of people cannot be classed into homogenous unyielding entities” – Yes, I agree with this.

Thanks for the links towards the end of your comment.

I hope to see you here more often.