AIUDF Chief Badruddin Ajmal Wins Binnakandi by Over 35,000 Votes as Party Collapses Elsewhere in Assam

Key facts

• Badruddin Ajmal won the Binnakandi seat with 119,721 votes, defeating Congress-backed Rezaul Karim Chowdhury who got 84,341 votes.
• Ajmal's victory margin was 35,380 votes; third-placed Shahab Uddin Majumdar got 20,955 votes, independent Mohammad Kabir Ahmed got 2,264.
• AIUDF contested only 27 seats in 2026, down from 66 in 2021, after splitting from the Congress alliance.
• In the Rupohihat constituency, Congress's Nurul Huda defeated AIUDF's Aminul Islam by 69,766 votes.
• The BJP tightened its grip on Assam, while the Congress swept the minority belt as AIUDF collapsed.
• Counting for all 126 assembly seats began at 8:00 AM on May 4, 2026, with 722 candidates in the fray.

A Personal Victory Amid a Party-Wide Debacle

Badruddin Ajmal, the chief of the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), won his home seat of Binnakandi by a commanding margin of 35,380 votes on May 4, 2026, but the victory was a solitary bright spot in an otherwise catastrophic election for his party. Ajmal secured 119,721 votes, defeating Congress-backed Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, who polled 84,341 votes. Two other candidates — Shahab Uddin Majumdar (20,955 votes) and independent Mohammad Kabir Ahmed (2,264 votes) — trailed far behind. Yet the scale of Ajmal's personal win stood in stark contrast to the AIUDF's near-total collapse across the rest of Assam. The party, which had been a kingmaker in the state's minority-dominated lower Assam region, contested only 27 seats in 2026 — a dramatic reduction from the 66 it fielded in 2021. The decision to break its pre-poll alliance with the Congress proved disastrous.

The Split That Sunk the AIUDF

In the 2021 assembly elections, the Congress and AIUDF had fought together as part of a broader opposition coalition, winning 27 seats in the 50-constituency minority belt. This time, the two parties contested separately, fragmenting the anti-BJP vote. The result was a rout for Ajmal's party: the AIUDF lost most of the seats it contested, while the Congress swept the minority belt, capitalizing on the split. In the Rupohihat constituency, for example, Congress candidate Nurul Huda defeated AIUDF's Aminul Islam by a staggering 69,766 votes. The outcome underscored how the Congress had successfully positioned itself as the primary challenger to the BJP in Muslim-majority areas, marginalizing the AIUDF.

BJP Tightens Its Grip on Assam

While the Congress gained in the minority belt, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strengthened its hold on the rest of the state. The 2026 assembly elections saw the BJP and its allies consolidate power, winning a majority of the 126 seats. The party's strategy of polarizing the electorate along religious lines appeared to pay off, as it made inroads even in areas that had previously been AIUDF strongholds. The BJP's performance was particularly strong in the upper Assam and Brahmaputra valley regions, where it benefited from a divided opposition. The Congress, despite its gains in the minority belt, failed to mount a serious challenge to the BJP's overall dominance.

Counting Day Drama in Binnakandi

The counting of votes for all 126 assembly seats began at 8:00 AM on May 4, 2026, with 722 candidates in the fray. In Binnakandi, the early trends were nail-bitingly close. At 10:00 AM, Congress-backed Rezaul Karim Chowdhury was leading by a mere 31 votes, with 3,681 votes against Ajmal's 3,650. By 10:23 AM, Ajmal had surged ahead, leading by 7,283 votes as Chowdhury stalled at 7,283. The trend continued through the day, and by 2:55 PM Ajmal had built an unassailable lead. By 5:30 PM, Chowdhury was trailing significantly, and at 7:38 PM the final result was declared: Ajmal won by 35,380 votes. The counting process took 30 rounds, reflecting the intense scrutiny of each ballot.

The Shifting Sands of Assam's Electoral Geography

Assam's electoral map has long been defined by a sharp religious and ethnic divide. The lower Assam districts bordering Bangladesh have a high concentration of Muslim voters, and these 50 or so seats have historically witnessed fierce battles between the Congress, AIUDF, and BJP. In 2021, the NDA won 23 of these seats, while the Congress-AIUDF alliance took 27. In 2026, the Congress alone captured most of those 27, while the AIUDF was reduced to a handful. The AIUDF's decline reflects a broader realignment: Muslim voters, who had previously split between the Congress and the AIUDF, appear to have coalesced behind the Congress as the more credible anti-BJP force. Ajmal's party, once seen as the voice of the Bengali Muslim community, now faces an existential crisis.

What Lies Ahead for Ajmal and the AIUDF

Badruddin Ajmal's victory in Binnakandi ensures he remains a player in Assam politics, but his party's near-total wipeout raises questions about its future. The AIUDF contested only 27 seats in 2026, a sign of its shrinking footprint, and lost most of them. With the Congress and BJP both strengthening their positions, there is little room for a third force in the state's polarized landscape. Ajmal, who has led the AIUDF since its founding in 2005, will now have to decide whether to rebuild from the grassroots or seek a new alliance. The 2026 results suggest that the era of the AIUDF as a major political force in Assam may be drawing to a close.

The bottom line

• Badruddin Ajmal won Binnakandi by 35,380 votes, but his party AIUDF collapsed elsewhere, contesting only 27 seats and losing most.
• The Congress swept the minority belt after splitting from the AIUDF, defeating AIUDF candidates by large margins such as 69,766 votes in Rupohihat.
• The BJP tightened its overall grip on Assam, winning a majority of the 126 seats as the opposition remained divided.
• The AIUDF's decline marks a realignment of Muslim voters behind the Congress as the main anti-BJP force.
• Ajmal's personal victory masks an existential crisis for his party, which now faces an uncertain future in Assam politics.