Assam: Congress's anti-drug rally overshadowed by mass defection to BJP in Margherita

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has registered a major boost in the politically crucial 83 No. Margherita Assembly constituency, with over 200 leaders and workers of the Congress formally joining the ruling party.

The joining ceremony was held at Jagun in the presence of Margherita MLA Bhaskar Sharma, marking one of the largest defections from the Congress in the constituency in recent times. Several prominent Congress functionaries crossed over, including Rubul Gogoi, former President of the Margherita Block Congress Committee and former OBC Morcha Secretary of the Indian National Congress; Raju Hazarika, former Working President of the Jagun Mandal Congress Committee; Anjuma Ahmed, former State Secretary of the Mahila Congress; and former Congress Secretary Dulumoni Burhagohain, along with a large number of other office bearers and workers.

According to BJP sources, the party’s emphasis on development-oriented governance and organizational stability under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma has been a key factor drawing Congress leaders and workers towards the BJP. The party further claimed that over the past few months, several thousand Congress members have joined the BJP in Margherita, significantly strengthening its organizational base at the booth and mandal levels.

Notably, the large-scale induction coincided with a Congress-led anti-drug awareness march held in Jagun on the same day. The Congress claimed that around 1,300 participants took part in a procession from Rampur to Jagun, raising slogans against the alleged rise in drug-related activities in the constituency and accusing the government of failing to curb the menace effectively.

Political observers, however, view the timing of the defections as particularly significant. The exodus of Congress leaders and workers to the BJP on the very day of the party’s protest is being seen as an indication of deepening internal discontent within the Congress ranks and a reflection of the BJP’s expanding influence in the constituency.

With the 2026 Assembly elections drawing closer, the latest political churn is being widely interpreted as a strategic advantage for the BJP in Margherita. Analysts believe that if the current trend continues, the constituency’s political alignment is likely to become even more sharply defined in the months ahead.