Guwahati: Former Assam Congress chief Bhupen Kumar Borah on Sunday joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of its state unit president Dilip Saikia here, ahead of the assembly elections slated to be held in the next few months. BJP MP Baijayant Panda was also present on the occasion. Borah became a BJP member during a function held at the Assam BJP headquarters ‘Vajpayee Bhawan’.
Along with him, former Congress worker Sanju Bora, too, joined the saffron party. Borah had resigned on February 16, with the Congress high command not accepting it and senior leaders rushing to his residence, while Rahul Gandhi also spoke to him.
He had asked for time to reconsider his decision, but the next day, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma went to his residence and announced that he would join the BJP on February 22. The 126-member Assam assembly is expected to go to the polls in March-April.
Borah, in his resignation letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, claimed that he was being “ignored” by the Congress party leadership and was not being accorded his due in the state unit. Borah was the president of the Assam Congress unit from 2021 to 2025, and was replaced by Gaurav Gogoi last year. He has been a two-time legislator in Assam.
