Former Congress leader and veteran politician Bhupen Kumar Borah formally joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party at the party’s state headquarters in Guwahati on Sunday. Borah, who had served Congress for 32 years, joined the BJP in the presence of state BJP president Dilip Saikia and BJP national vice president and election in-charge for the 2026 Assam Assembly election, Baijayant Panda who welcomed the leader to the party fold. Several other Congress leaders and members also joined the BJP during the programme. “I never resigned to join BJP or any other party. When I realised that I could not work by adhering to the ideals with which I had joined Congress three decades back, I decided that it was time to leave the party, Borah said while addressing the programme held at the Vajpayee Bhawan in Basistha.
Borah, 56, further said that many other self-respecting Congress leaders and members, who love Assam, would soon join the BJP.
“More self-respecting frontline Congress leaders and workers will join BJP in the coming days. When the Congress will announce the candidates list, you will see that many self-respecting Congress Assamese leaders will join the BJP. For now, it’s a Karna-like situation for them and it would augur well for them if they move away from the Kauravas and join the Pandavas,” the former Assam PCC chief said, while referring to the Mahabharata.
In a social media post on Saturday, Borah posted: “After 32 long years in the Indian National Congress, tomorrow I begin a new chapter by joining the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is not an easy decision, but it is one taken with conviction, clarity, and a renewed commitment to serve the people.” Needless to state that Borah’s joining the ruling party will be a significant boost to the ruling BJP ahead of the Assam Assembly elections. Prior to making the significant decision to join BJP, Borah had met Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa, who came to his Ghoramara residence on Tuesday evening and had a threadbare discussion that lasted for over an hour.
