Hojai: Binnakandi constituency of Hojai district is considered one of the important constituencies of the state (Binnakandi Election 2026). Badruddin Ajmal began his political journey from this constituency in 2006 and later moved to Delhi after being elected as the Member of Parliament from Dhubri. This time, he has once again set his sights on becoming an MLA from his home constituency, Binnakandi. AIUDF chief Maulana Badruddin Ajmal has already filed his nomination from Binnakandi.
Earlier, the constituency was known as Jamunamukh. After delimitation, its name was changed to No. 62 Binnakandi constituency. Since 1951, a total of 17 MLAs have represented this constituency.
In 1951, Bimalakanta Bora of the Congress was elected; in 1957, Rahimuddin Ahmed (Congress); in 1962, Begum Afia (Congress); in 1967, Lakshmi Prasad Goswami; in 1972, Devendranath Bora (Congress); in 1978, Mozammil Ali Choudhury (Janata Party); in 1983, Forman Ali (Congress); in 1985, Maulana Abdul Jalil Ragibi (UMF); and again in 1991, Maulana Abdul Jalil Ragibi (Congress) was elected for the second time.
Similarly, in 1996 and 2001, Alhaj Khalilur Rahman Choudhury of AGP was elected consecutively. In 2006, Maulana Badruddin Ajmal was elected MLA from the constituency representing AIUDF. Since Ajmal won from both South Salmara and Jamunamukh that year, he vacated the Jamunamukh seat, leading to a by-election. In the by-election, his brother Sirajuddin Ajmal won from AIUDF.
After that, Sirajuddin Ajmal was elected again in 2011; Abdur Rahim Ajmal won the 2014 by-election; Abdur Rahim Ajmal again won in the 2016 Assembly election; and in 2021, Sirajuddin Ajmal was elected from the constituency.
So far, including two by-elections, the constituency has witnessed 17 Assembly elections. Among the winners, Maulana Abdul Jalil Ragibi, Khalilur Rahman Choudhury, Sirajuddin Ajmal, and Abdur Rahim Ajmal were elected twice each, while the others represented the constituency once. Altogether, 12 individuals have represented the constituency so far.
Among them, Mozammil Ali Choudhury (1978), Forman Ali (1983), Maulana Abdul Jalil Ragibi (1985, 1991), and Alhaj Khalilur Rahman Choudhury (1996, 2001) were local voters of Jamunamukh, while the others were from outside the constituency. After delimitation, the prominent Ajmal family of Hojai became voters of the Binnakandi constituency.
With only a few days left before the Assam Assembly elections, the key question now is: who will be the next representative of the newly formed Binnakandi constituency? A total of 14 candidates are contesting from Binnakandi in the Assembly election scheduled for April 9.
The candidates include Maulana Badruddin Ajmal (AIUDF), Rejaul Karim Choudhury (Assam Jatiya Parishad), Swahab Uddin Mazumdar (AGP), and independent candidates Burhan Uddin, Akhtar Uddin Laskar, Farij Uddin, Imdadur Rahman, Mohammad Kabir Ahmed, Samsul Haque Laskar, Zakaria Hussain, Prafulla Baglari, Fazlul Karim Choudhury, Abdul Hannan, and Nazmul Alam Laskar.
Here is a brief look at the voting trends in the last seven Assembly elections in the constituency:
In 1991, a total of 16 candidates contested in the then Jamunamukh constituency. Congress candidate Maulana Abdul Jalil Ragibi won with 14,192 votes. His nearest rival, independent candidate Abu Zafar Atiya, secured 12,385 votes. CPI’s Nurul Hussain received 9,374 votes, AGP’s Abdur Rahman Barbhuyan got 7,168 votes, and independent candidate Basir Uddin Laskar secured 6,845 votes. Ragibi won by a margin of 1,807 votes.
In 1996, among 14 candidates, AGP’s Khalilur Rahman Choudhury won with 28,899 votes, defeating Congress candidate Abdul Jalil Ragibi, who secured 19,634 votes. Abu Zafar Atiya received 11,892 votes, BJP’s Abul Hussain got 5,514 votes, independent Abdul Hannan received 3,102 votes, and CPI’s Nurul Hussain secured 2,083 votes. Choudhury won by 9,265 votes.
In 2001, only three candidates contested, and AGP’s Khalilur Rahman Choudhury won again with 47,255 votes, defeating Abdul Jalil Ragibi, who secured 37,614 votes. The victory margin was 9,641 votes.
In 2006, nine candidates contested. AIUDF candidate Badruddin Ajmal won with 53,040 votes. His nearest rival Khalilur Rahman Choudhury (AGP) secured 32,611 votes. NCP’s Samsul Haque Talukdar got 14,555 votes, BJP’s Abul Hussain received 1,842 votes, and Congress-backed independent Anwar Hussain got 2,673 votes. Ajmal won by 20,429 votes.
In the by-election that year, Sirajuddin Ajmal won with 58,210 votes, defeating Congress candidate Khalilur Rahman Choudhury, who secured 45,043 votes. The victory margin was 13,167 votes.
In the 2011 Assembly election, Sirajuddin Ajmal again won with 61,267 votes. Congress candidate Rejaul Karim Choudhury secured 48,541 votes, and BJP’s Nazmul Alam Laskar got 4,238 votes. The margin was 12,726 votes.
In the 2014 by-election, following Sirajuddin Ajmal’s election as MP from Barpeta, Abdur Rahim Ajmal contested from AIUDF and won with 62,153 votes, defeating Congress candidate Basir Uddin Laskar, who secured 39,194 votes.
In the 2016 Assembly election, Abdur Rahim Ajmal again won with 65,599 votes. Independent candidate Alhaj Rejaul Karim Choudhury secured 52,195 votes, Congress candidate Basir Uddin Laskar got 23,849 votes, and AGP’s Zia Uddin Ahmed secured 4,732 votes. The victory margin was 13,404 votes.
In the 2021 election, Sirajuddin Ajmal won by a huge margin, securing 136,902 votes. His nearest rivals were AGP’s Sadikullah Bhuyan (18,342 votes), Raijor Dal’s Dilwara Begum Choudhury (18,028 votes), and AJP’s Badrul Haque (3,292 votes).
This time, the main political contest in the newly formed Binnakandi constituency is expected among AIUDF’s Maulana Badruddin Ajmal, Assam Jatiya Parishad’s Rejaul Karim Choudhury, and AGP’s Swahab Uddin Mazumdar.
However, in the absence of sitting MLA Sirajuddin Ajmal, there is strong anti-incumbency sentiment against AIUDF, making the contest challenging for Badruddin Ajmal. The Congress party, which has a strong organizational base in the constituency, has left the seat to AJP as part of an alliance arrangement. This has upset Congress ticket aspirants and grassroots workers.
AJP candidate Rejaul Karim Choudhury is currently engaged in efforts to bring dissatisfied Congress workers to his side. However, Congress workers have not yet openly come out in his support.
In this situation, the contest appears somewhat easier for Ajmal. Still, the anti-incumbency wave remains a concern for him. The opposition camp against Ajmal is not united, which works in his favor. Congress votes are unlikely to go entirely to the AJP candidate; a significant portion may also shift to AGP candidate Swahab Uddin Mazumdar, who himself is a former Congress leader.
Division of Congress votes may benefit Ajmal. Therefore, this election in his home constituency Binnakandi is truly a litmus test for him.