Assam Assembly Elections 2016: Know your leader Profile-Badruddin Ajmal

Amidst all speculations, the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) Chief and MP, Badruddin Ajmal and his son Abdur Rahim yesterday filed their nomination papers for the forthcoming Assembly elections in Assam.

The AIUDF Chief has said that no one can form the next government in Assam without his party's support. Ajmal thinks that his party may bag 30-35 seats in the 126-member assembly.

An alumnus of Darul Ulum Deoband, Ajmal, currently represents Dhubri parliamentary seat in the Lok Sabha. Well known as the 'perfume king' his family business of perfumes is worth more than Rs. 2,000 crore.

Know your state: Assam

Know Your Leader Profile: Tarun Gogoi-Indian National Congress

Know Your Leader Profile: Sarbananda Sonowal- BJP

Let's take a look at the brief profile of the AIUDF Chief and perfume baron Badruddin Ajmal:

Date and pace of birth: Born 12 February 1950 in Gopal Nagar, Nagaon (Assam)

Family history: Badruddin Ajmal was born to Ajmal Ali and Mariamunessa. Ajmal is Fazil-e-Deoband (Masters in Islamic Theology and Arabic),educated at Darul Uloom, Deoband, Uttar Pradesh and was an industrialist before he joined politics. He is married to Smt. Rezwana Ajmal and has 6 sons and 1 daughter.

Ajmal was featured in 2015-16 list of "World's 500 Most Influential Muslims" published by Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre of Jordan.

Political career: Ajmal was elected simultaneously from two constituencies - South Salmara and Jamunamukh- in 2006 election for Assam Legislative Assembly by a large margin of votes. Ajmal was also elected as the leader of the AUDF Legislative Party which had won 10 seats in its maiden electoral fight.

In the next Assembly Election in 2011, AIUDF won 18 seats and emerging as the largest opposition party in Assam.

An Assamese Muslim group, the Sadou Asom Gariya - Moria Desi (SAGMJ), along with the All Assam Students Union, blamed Ajmal for inflammatory comments following Assam violence in 2012.

Ajmal has been questioned time and again regarding his party- AIUDF- of having being formed for protection of Bangladeshi migrants, to which the leader has always denied and has called them "baseless allegations".

Last year speculations were rife that the AIUDF would partner with BJP for the 2016 Assembly polls, and that Ajmal was supporting the saffron party during Lok Sabha debates.
However, the BJP has claimed that there will not be any understanding with Mr Ajmal even if they fall short of the majority mark of 64 seats.

Social activities: Maulana Badruddin Ajmal is also widely regarded as a social worker. He is the founding President of NGO Markazul Ma'arif which runs schools, orphanages, hospitals and other social, educational and economic developmental activities in the country.

Founded in 1982, the organization works in Assam and other northeast states to address illiteracy, poverty and provide basic immunization.

Badruddin Ajmal is also the Managing Trustee of Haji Abdul Majid Memorial (HAMM) Public Trust, Hojai best known for the charitable hospital, Haji Abdul Majid Memorial Hospital and Research Center at Hojai, in Assam.