>Tom.Reding at 22:25, 13 April 2021

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The '''All People's Party''' or '''''Sarbadal''''' was a [[political party]] in [[Assam]], [[northeast India]]. The party was founded in [[Dibrugarh]] by [[Ahom people|Ahom]] elites on May 8, 1945.<ref name="India)1984">{{cite book|author=Institute of Historical Studies (Calcutta, India)|title=Public associations in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d9y1AAAAIAAJ|year=1984|publisher=Institute of Historical Studies|page=139}}</ref><ref name="Phukon1984"/> It united different groups that sought to challenge the [[Indian National Congress]] (which the Ahom elites saw as a platform for caste Hindus) in elections.<ref name="Saikia2004">{{cite book|author=Yasmin Saikia|title=Fragmented Memories: Struggling to be Tai-Ahom in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WfSmsuO6QugC&pg=PA163|date=19 October 2004|publisher=Duke University Press|isbn=0-8223-8616-X|page=163}}</ref><ref name="Phukon1984"/> The [[All India Muslim League]], the [[Tribal League]] and the [[Ahom Sabha]] took part in the founding of the party.<ref name="Phukon1984"/> The party sought to mobilise the Kachari, Muttock and [[Deori people|Deuri]] communities, to compete against caste Hindus for political influence.<ref name="Saikia2004"/> To a large extent, the party represented tea garden labourers.<ref name="(India)1967"/> During its initial period, the party demanded that the British colonial government should create a separate Ahom constituency (a demand that was not heeded by the government).<ref name="Saikia2004"/> The party cooperated with the Muslim League, being united in their opposition against the Congress party.<ref name="Phukon1984"/>

The headquarters of the party were based in [[Jorhat]].<ref name="(India)1967">{{cite book|author=Assam (India)|title=Assam District Gazetteers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ly9uAAAAMAAJ|year=1967|publisher=Government of Assam|page=386}}</ref> Surendranath Buragohain was the founding general secretary of the party.<ref name="SudSud1953">{{cite book|author1=S. P. Singh Sud|author2=Ajit Singh Sud|title=Indian Elections and Legislators|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ATs0AAAAIAAJ|year=1953|publisher=All India Publications|page=114}}</ref> Soon, however, he left the party.<ref name="India)1984"/> [[Muhammed Saadulah]] (leader of the Muslim League) was unanimously elected chairman of ''Sarbadal'' at its founding conference.<ref name="Phukon1984"/><ref name="Kunda2007"/> Another founding member was P.M. Sarwan.<ref name="Kunda2007">{{cite book|author=Bijan Kumar Kunda|title=Politics in the Brahmaputra Valley, since the Assam Accord|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x1JuAAAAMAAJ|date=1 January 2007|publisher=Om Publications|isbn=978-81-86867-81-5|page=92}}</ref> As of 1949, Ghana Kanta Gogoi was the general secretary of the party.<ref name="Phukon1984">{{cite book|author=Girin Phukon|title=Assam, Attitude to Federalism|url=https://archive.org/details/assamattitudetof034931mbp|year=1984|publisher=Sterling|pages=[https://archive.org/details/assamattitudetof034931mbp/page/n75 54], 76}}</ref>

Following the Independence of India, the party contested the 1952, 1957 and 1962 Assam legislative assembly elections. In each of these elections the party contested three seats. In the 1952 election, running as the 'All People's Party', the party won one seat (Titibar).<ref name="(India)1967"/> In total the three candidates of the party mustered 14,930 votes (0.61% of the statewide vote).<ref name="e1">Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1951/StatRep_51_ASSAM.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1951 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ASSAM]''</ref> In the [[1951 Indian general election|1951 Lok Sabha election]] the party fielded one candidate, Nalini Nath Phukan in the Golaghat Jorhat constituency. She obtained 36,851 votes (21.40% of the votes in the constituency).<ref>Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1951/VOL_1_51_LS.PDF STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTIONS, 1951 TO THE FIRST LOK SABHA] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304120817/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1951/VOL_1_51_LS.PDF |date=March 4, 2016 }}''</ref> The election symbol of the party was a pair of scales.<ref name="Gauhati1953">{{cite book|author=University of Gauhati|title=Dr. B. Kakati Commemoration Volume|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nucxAAAAIAAJ|year=1953|page=147}}</ref> In the 1957 it ran as 'Sarbadal', losing its presence in the assembly.<ref name="(India)1967"/> In 1967 it ran as 'Sarbadal Sramik Sabha', but was unable to win any seat.<ref name="(India)1967"/>

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[[Category:Political parties in Assam]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1945]]
[[Category:Political parties in India]]
[[Category:1945 establishments in India]]

All People's Party Assam - Revision history

>Tom.Reding at 22:25, 13 April 2021