BJP insiders say Debabrata Saikia negotiating Rajya Sabha seat, Saikia evades direct response

The Election Commission of India, on February 18 announced the schedule for the biennial elections to 37 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states will be held on March 16. Assam is among the states where three seats will fall vacant. While the schedule was expected, what followed was not. Within hours, political circles in Guwahati were abuzz with talk that senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia could be eyeing a Rajya Sabha berth, possibly with the backing of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

Sources within the BJP have claimed that Saikia has been in talks for some time regarding a Rajya Sabha seat. Though there is no official confirmation, the timing of the speculation is significant. The Assam unit of the Congress is already grappling with the recent exit of its former state chief Bhupen Borah, who resigned from the party and joined the BJP.

If Saikia were to switch sides, it would mark yet another high-profile defection from the Congress in Assam, a development that could deepen the crisis within the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

Speaking to the media, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the party has “almost finalised” its candidates for all three Rajya Sabha seats from Assam.

“If you check Debabrata Saikia’s statements in the last five years, you will see that each time he says that his mother is not allowing him to shift. Otherwise he had no issues joining BJP,” Sarma remarked. “But the Bharatiya Janata Party has almost fixed candidates for all three seats. There is no vacancy as such. We will contest from all three constituencies for the Rajya Sabha biennial elections and will win from all three seats.”

Saikia, for his part, has evaded any direct response. “I am unaware of all this. I don’t know. These are all speculative news. An attempt to create confusion among Congress ranks. You mention the source, I will then answer based on that,” he said.

Earlier in the day, he categorically ruled out joining the BJP, seeking to quell the political buzz triggered by Sarma’s remarks and the recent defection of Bhupen Borah.

Expressing disappointment over Borah’s move, Saikia recalled their long association. “Let him go. I will give him my blessings. He was my president, we worked together. When I first became a new MLA in 2001, he guided me on how to present my views in the Assembly. I respect his guidance,” he said, adding that he was unaware of the specific reasons behind Borah’s decision.

At the same time, Saikia made it clear that ideological differences would prevent him from crossing over. “Anyone who has public service at heart will do politics for policy and ideals. We have no good feelings for this outside party that divides Assamese society in the name of ideology, so I won’t join the BJP,” he stated.

The speculation around Saikia gained further traction after the chief minister of Assam, on February 17, predicted that more senior Congress leaders would eventually join the BJP. He named both Debabrata Saikia and MP Pradyut Bordoloi as leaders who, in his view, would switch sides in due course.

According to the Chief Minister, Bordoloi could move before the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, while Saikia might join the BJP after the upcoming Assembly polls if electoral outcomes go against him.

Sarma described Bhupen Borah’s induction into the BJP as a “major political shift” in Assam. He claimed that several Congress leaders and workers from Guwahati and Lakhimpur were also preparing to join the ruling party.

“Bhupen Borah will be given respect and dignity. Joining the BJP will be like a homecoming for him. This is a party of simple people,” Sarma said, emphasising that there was “no bargaining” involved. “He did not join after negotiations. I have gone through the same pain,” he added, referring to his own exit from the Congress years ago.

The Chief Minister argued that Borah’s resignation stemmed from deeper structural issues within the Congress. “Nobody resigns after 30 years without a reason. Congress does not want to address the cause,” he said.

Meanwhile Saikia acknowledged that factionalism exists within the Congress. “Lobbying happens in Congress; there is no benefit in lying about it,” he said, adding that internal groupism is a longstanding issue and difficult to completely eliminate.