From political allies to rivals: When BJP’s Bhupen Borah faced close friend Narayan Ram Bhuyan in Assam poll battle

Politics often produced unexpected turns, and the Bihpuria Assembly constituency in Assam’s Lakhimpur district witnessed one such development during the recently concluded Assembly elections. Former close associates Bhupen Kumar Borah and Narayan Ram Bhuyan faced each other as political rivals, drawing significant attention in the constituency.

Bhupen Kumar Borah, who had joined the BJP ahead of the election, contested against Congress candidate Narayan Bhuyan in a closely watched battle. Until recently, both leaders had been associated with the Congress and were regarded as close political associates within party circles.

Borah, a former Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president and ex-Congress MLA from Bihpuria, had been considered a senior figure in the party. Internal discussions within the Congress had reportedly suggested that Borah could contest from the Ranganadi constituency while Narayan Bhuyan would be fielded from Bihpuria, a move that would have kept both leaders on the same political side.

However, the political situation changed shortly before the Election Commission of India announced the poll schedule, when Borah defected to the BJP. The development was seen as a major setback for the Congress at a crucial stage ahead of the elections.

The BJP subsequently fielded Borah from the Bihpuria constituency itself, while the Congress nominated Narayan Bhuyan to retain the seat. The decision transformed a long-standing political association into a direct electoral contest.

The contest also carried additional political significance as Borah had earlier lost the 2021 Assembly election from Bihpuria to BJP candidate Amiya Kumar Bhuyan by a margin of 10,178 votes.

A total of four candidates contested from the Bihpuria Legislative Assembly Constituency. Besides Borah and Narayan Bhuyan, Dr Diganta Gogoi of the Voters Party International and independent candidate Hemen Gogoi were also in the fray.