Assam: Congress Nagaon district president, Youth Congress working president jump ship to BJP

The Assam BJP unit today recieved a shot in the arm in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls next year as two Congress leaders jumped ship and joined the saffron party. 

Veteran Congress leader and president of the Nagaon district Congress unit, Suresh Borah today joined the BJP. Along with him, Assam Youth Congress working president Poritush Roy also joined the BJP. Apart from the two Congress leaders, Trinamool Congress leader Dilip Kumar Sharma also joined the BJP in the same ceremony today. 

Apart from them, several other former Congress party workers also joined the BJP today during the ceremony. 

The joining ceremony held at the BJP state headquarters in Guwahati today was attended by Assam BJP president Bhabesh Kalita, and ministers Pijush Hazarika and Ranoj Pegu, among others. 

Soon after the joining-in ceremony, Assam BJP chief Bhabesh Kalita told the media that many more Congress leaders and party workers are willing to join the BJP and also specifically said that a storm is coming to hit the Congress. 

"The unsatisfied leaders in the Congress party are keeping in touch with us. There are MPs and MLAs who are wanting to join us. We are just not in in a position to take them in yet. More storm is yet to hit the Congress," said Kalita.

On the other hand, the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Bhupen Borah has accepted that the departure of such leaders is indeed a momentary loss to the party. 

Speaking to the media, Borah said the departure of leaders is a temporary loss to the party but it is nothing new. 

"When someone leaves the party, it definitely is a momentary loss for the party. I accept that. But given the long history of the Congress party, people leaving is not a new phenomenon. The Congress party is still working for the people in the midst of these trying circumstances," said Borah. 

The APCC president also said that the party is going to appoint a new president for the Congress party's Nagaon unit within a span of 48 hours. 

"I have already instructed our working president Rana Goswami to hold discussions with all leaders and workers of the Nagaon district Congress unit and appoint a new president for the Nagaon Congress unit within a span of 48 hours. We are also soon going to organise two major rallies in Nagaon. One in Nagaon Sadar seat and the other in Samaguri seat," said Borah. 

Suresh Borah had resigned from the party on November 10 and following that he met Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today morning ahead of his formal initiation into the BJP. 

Borah, a prominent figure in the Barhampur Assembly Constituency, announced his resignation at a gathering at his Itachali home, attended by local leaders and workers. His resignation letter was forwarded to Bhupen Bora, the chief of the APCC. Borah's loss in the 2021 assembly elections to BJP's Jitu Goswami by a narrow margin of 751 votes in the Barhampur constituency is noteworthy.

He also contributed significantly to Pradyut Bordoloi's victory in the Nagaon constituency during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Borah's exit has stirred the local political scene, posing challenges for the Congress' efforts to consolidate its presence in the region.

His addition to the BJP is expected to bolster the saffron party's prospects in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the Nagaon seat. 

On the other hand, Poritush Roy tendered his resignation on November 11 while citing 'family centric politics' as the main reason. Today he along with Borah formally joined the BJP. 

The change of camp for these two leaders today came in even as Bhupen Borah on November 10 submitted a comprehensive list of preferred constituencies to the party high command in Delhi. He had also announced that after December 3, Congress party workers will have the opportunity to voice their opinions on the selected constituencies. This democratic process aims to ensure that the party's dedicated members actively contribute to the decision-making process.