Former Assam Congress chief Bhupen Borah, who stepped down from the party on February 16, confirmed that he is set to join the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who visited Borah’s residence on Tuesday, said that Borah would formally enter the BJP on February 22 and that the party plans to field him in the upcoming Assam Assembly elections, which are expected in April or May.
The chief minister described Borah as the Congress’ last widely recognised Hindu face in the state. He suggested that Borah’s move would reinforce the perception that Congress no longer represents the Assamese mainstream.
Sarma also remarked that when someone leaves a party after more than three decades of association, the leadership should reflect on the reasons behind such a departure, adding that the Congress tends to ignore these warning signs.
Sarma recalled that he and Borah had joined the Congress around the same time in the early 1990s, before he himself left the party in 2015 to join the BJP, Scroll.in reported.
After Borah tendered his resignation on Monday, senior Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, attempted to persuade him to reconsider. Borah had sought time until Tuesday to reflect on the decision but ultimately chose not to withdraw his resignation.
Borah said that decision-making within the Assam Congress had become concentrated in the hands of Dhubri MP Rakibul Hussain. In his resignation letter, he also conveyed that he felt sidelined by the party leadership and expressed concern about the party’s future direction.
Borah served as president of the Congress’ Assam unit from 2021 to 2025 and was replaced by Gaurav Gogoi in June.