With the election clock ticking, Borah’s function was held at the party’s state headquarters, ‘Vajpayee Bhawan’, in the presence of Assam BJP president Dilip Saikia. Former Congress worker Sanju Bora also joined the saffron party at the event.
Borah had led the Assam Congress from 2021 to 2025 before being replaced by Gaurav Gogoi last year. A two-time legislator, he has been associated with the Congress for over three decades.
Also Read | Former Assam Congress chief Bhupen Borah resigns from party ahead of Assembly polls
Borah had submitted his resignation to the grand old party’s high command earlier this week, citing detailed reasons in his letter but refraining from making them public.
Though the party’s central leadership initially did not accept his resignation and senior leaders rushed to his residence to persuade him to reconsider, Borah remained firm.
Meanwhile, party bigwhig Rahul Gandhi personally spoke to him, and Borah had sought time to rethink his decision. However, political equations shifted quickly when Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited Borah’s residence in the Ghoramara area of Guwahati.
The meeting, during which Sarma was welcomed with traditional ‘aarti’ by Borah’s family, fuelled speculation of an imminent switch.
Also Read | Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma meets Bhupen Borah day after his resignation from Congress
The chief minister had earlier indicated that the BJP’s doors were open for Borah and even assured that he would be accommodated from a “safe seat” in the upcoming elections.
Speaking to reporters earlier in Guwahati, Borah maintained that his resignation was not driven by personal grievances.
“I have served the Congress for 32 years, and I am worried about the future of the party,” he had said, adding that he had elaborated on his concerns in the letter to the high command. He also clarified that no political party had made him a formal offer at that time and that his resignation did not mean he was quitting politics.
The timing of Borah’s switch is crucial.
The 126-member Assam Assembly is expected to go to polls in March-April, making every high-profile defection politically consequential.
