In a significant political shift, former president of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC), Bhupen Kumar Borah, will join the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on February 22, ahead of the Assam Assembly elections. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma made the announcement following a meeting with Borah at his residence, which occurred shortly after Borah resigned from the Congress, a party he had been with for 32 years. Despite attempts by Congress leadership to persuade him to reconsider his resignation, Borah ultimately sought time to evaluate his position.
Sarma expressed his delight over Borah’s decision, noting that BJP state president Dilip Saikia would determine the timing of Borah’s formal introduction into the party, alongside several other Congress leaders and members. Sarma emphasized Borah’s role as the last significant Hindu representative in Congress, highlighting his constituency of Bihpuria, which aligns with the Assamese mainstream, unlike some other Congress Hindu leaders who contested in minority-majority areas.
Assuring that Borah would be assigned to a “safe” electoral seat, likely Bihpuria or Nowboicha, Sarma remarked that Borah’s decision to leave was not based on a desire for a particular electoral position, stating that he could have negotiated a seat within Congress if he had wished to do so. The Chief Minister criticized Congress leadership for failing to address the underlying issues that led to Borah’s departure after three decades of service, suggesting that corrective measures might have retained him in the party.