Bhupen Borah appointed as BJP State Executive Member

Former Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Bhupen Borah on Sunday, February 22, formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and was appointed as a member of the party’s State Executive Committee.

The appointment was announced by Assam BJP president Dilip Saikia at a joining programme held at the party’s state headquarters, Vajpayee Bhawan, in Guwahati today. The induction comes at a crucial juncture, with the 126-member Assam Assembly expected to go to polls in March–April.

Borah had tendered his resignation from the Congress on February 16, a move that triggered intense political speculation. The Congress high command reportedly did not accept his resignation immediately, and senior leaders — including Rahul Gandhi — reached out to him in an effort to persuade him to reconsider.

Speaking after his induction, Borah said his resignation from the Congress was not premeditated with the intention of joining the BJP.

“I didn’t resign from the Congress thinking that I would join the BJP. I resigned hoping that there would be self-introspection within the Congress about the wrongs, and that there would be a commitment to correct them,” he said.

Borah added that the visit by Congress leaders to his residence earlier in the week “hurt his sentiments,” signalling a widening rift between him and the party leadership.

Borah’s switch was accompanied by several other leaders and workers from the Congress. Among those who joined the BJP were former Congress leaders Sanju Bora, Rajesh Kumar Joshi, Kangkan Das, Gagan Chandra Bora and more than a dozen party workers.

Dr. Sanju Boruah, another former Congress leader who entered the BJP fold, was appointed as a party media panelist. Former AASU leader Sankor Jyoti Baruah, who also joined the BJP during the programme at Vajpayee Bhawan, was appointed as a media panelist by the state party president.