All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) president Maulana Badruddin Ajmal on Monday called for opposition parties to unite to challenge the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) following the Election Commission of India’s announcement of the Assam Assembly election schedule. He also urged the poll body to ensure free and fair elections, particularly in regions not governed by the BJP.

Speaking to ANI, Ajmal welcomed the announcement of the schedule but emphasized the need for neutrality. “Our party welcomes this announcement… The Election Commission must ensure that wherever there is no BJP government, elections are held in a free and fair manner. Governance should be strengthened; there should be no favouritism towards anyone,” he said.

Ajmal highlighted the importance of equal treatment for all parties. “Our point is that there should be no discrimination against any party,” he added. He directly appealed to rival parties, stating, “We want to remove the BJP. I urge all non-BJP parties to join together and try to remove the BJP.”

The Election Commission on Sunday released schedules for Assembly elections in West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam, and Puducherry, covering 824 constituencies and 17.4 crore voters. Polling will take place on April 9 in Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry, and on April 23 in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. Vote counting is scheduled for May 4, with nearly 2.19 lakh polling stations and 25 lakh personnel deployed.

The Model Code of Conduct came into effect immediately. Assembly terms for the states and union territories end between May 7 (West Bengal) and June 15 (Puducherry).