‘It happened as I had anticipated’: Pradyut Bordoloi on strain in Congress-Raijor Dal alliance

BJP MLA Pradyut Bordoloi has stepped up his attack on the Congress leadership, targeting senior Congress leader Rakibul Hussain and Assam Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi while predicting a shift in the political equations of the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency.

Bordoloi was speaking to the media after visiting Batadrava Than, where he offered prayers and sought blessings at the Kirtan Ghar while wearing the BJP's saffron colours for the first time.

Reacting to reports of strain in the Congress's political alliance with Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi, Bordoloi said the developments were along the lines he had anticipated.

“I believe it happened the way I had anticipated, and it will continue to happen in the future as well,” he said.

Bordoloi also targeted former Assam minister Rakibul Hussain, alleging that he had been the dominant political force in Nagaon during the Congress government's tenure. He claimed that the period was marked by unrest in Nagaon and alleged that ordinary people had faced difficulties in moving freely through the streets.

According to Bordoloi, Hussain's electoral influence in Samaguri should not be equated with his ability to influence voters across the wider Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency.

“People do not have faith in someone like Rakibul Hussain. His victory in a constituency like Samaguri is a different matter,” Bordoloi said.

He further claimed that voters across the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency would not follow Hussain's political directions in the manner he alleged had happened in Samaguri, where Hussain's son had secured victory.

Bordoloi also responded to remarks by Gaurav Gogoi, who had said that the Congress had become “free of sin” after Bordoloi joined the BJP.

Taking a swipe at Gogoi, Bordoloi referred to the 2024 Lok Sabha election in Jorhat and claimed that Gogoi had failed to secure a victory at his own polling booth and had won only 19 Assembly segments in the constituency.

Bordoloi's comments come after his political shift to the BJP, with the party seeking to consolidate its position in the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency, where minority voters constitute an important electoral bloc.

The BJP MLA claimed that political equations in Nagaon would change in the upcoming election and expressed confidence that voters across the constituency would support the BJP.