Former Assam Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday, February 22, in a high-profile induction at the party’s state headquarters, Vajpayee Bhawan in Guwahati. The move, announced in the presence of Assam BJP president Dilip Saikia, also saw former Congress worker Sanju Bora join the ruling party, marking a significant defection ahead of the state assembly polls.
Borah’s switch follows his resignation from the Congress on February 16, which prompted immediate efforts by the party’s central leadership to retain him. Senior Congress leaders visited his residence and reportedly did not accept the resignation straightaway, while party leader Rahul Gandhi is said to have spoken to Borah as he sought time to reconsider.
Political momentum shifted quickly when Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited Borah’s home the day after the resignation and publicly announced that the former state Congress chief would join the BJP on February 22. The induction at Vajpayee Bhawan confirmed that announcement and underlined the BJP’s push to consolidate support ahead of the elections.
The defection is being viewed as a major setback for the Congress in Assam, coming at a sensitive moment as elections to the 126-member Assam Legislative Assembly are expected in March–April. Parties across the state have already begun recalibrating campaign strategies and candidate line-ups, and Borah’s move is likely to influence local alliances and voter calculations.
While details on any immediate political roles or ticket allocations for Borah were not disclosed at the induction, his shift from a senior Congress position to the BJP adds fresh momentum to the ruling party’s pre-election narrative and raises questions about the Congress’s ability to hold its leadership base in the run-up to the polls.
Original Source: https://nenews.in/assam/former-assam-congress-chief-bhupen-borah-joins-bjp-ahead-of-assembly-polls/42730/
Category: Assam,Assam Assembly elections,Bhupen Borah,BJP,Congress
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Publish Date: 2026-02-22 12:53:00
