Ajmal (left) with Choudhury in Guwahati on Tuesday. Picture by UB Photos

Guwahati, Nov. 29: The United Minority Front, a leading organisation of minorities in Assam, today merged with the nascent United Democratic Front, giving a boost to their anti-Congress tirade.

Disclosing this at a joint press meet, UDF president Badruddin Ajmal announced that UMF president Hafiz Rashid Choudhury would be the UDF?s working president.

Choudhury said the merger was the need of the hour to dethrone the Tarun Gogoi-led Congress government and also to prevent the BJP from coming to power. He said the party was open to electoral alliances with the AGP and other like-minded parties.

The leaders clarified that the UDF was not just a party for Muslims but a secular democratic front where other communities like Koch Rajbongshis and tea tribes were also welcome.

The executive committee of the UMF had in principle agreed to merge with the UDF earlier this month to prevent any split in the minority vote. In the process, it turned down the suggestion of an 11-member committee formed by the party to suggest whether the minority front should merge with the UDF.

The UMF committee, headed by senior party leader R.D. Lal, had stated in its report that if the minority front merged with the UDF, a few of its disgruntled members would retain the UMF and dub those who merge with the UDF as deserters.

Deciding in favour of the merger, the UMF put up certain conditions. The UDF agreed to them, paving the way for the unison. One of the conditions was accommodating UMF leaders in UDF ranks. Choudhury has already been made the working president and other leaders will be given plum posts soon, UDF sources said.