Suspended Congress MLA Kamalakhya seen in BJP attire, eyes Katigorah seat

It all began with an image, but the politics behind it runs deeper.

Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha is not a new face in Assam politics. He is a three-time Congress MLA from North Karimganj, now called Sribhumi North, and has been active in the Barak Valley for years, speaking for the people and serving as a trusted voice for many in the region, at least at one point in time. He won his current term on a Congress ticket but is now suspended from the party for alleged anti-party activities. Recently, however, he was seen wearing a BJP cap and saffron shawl at a public event in Badarpur, which falls under the Katigorah constituency. This drew attention because he is believed to be seeking a BJP ticket from Katigorah in the next Assembly election.

The matter became more complicated during Assam’s recent Special Revision of electoral rolls. On January 16, 2026, Kamalakhya applied to shift his voter registration from 123–Karimganj North LAC to 116–Katigorah LAC using Form-8. His request was accepted on January 29, 2026. However, when the final voter list was published, his name appeared in both constituencies. This led to public discussion and criticism.

On this issue, the Office of the District Election Officer, Sribhumi, issued a public clarification signed by the District Election Officer. The statement explained that once Form-8 was accepted, the system automatically generated Form-7 to delete his name from Karimganj North, as per the rules. However, because there is a mandatory seven-day processing period and the revision deadline was February 4, 2026, after which the ERONET system was frozen, the deletion could not be completed immediately. As a result, his name temporarily appeared in both 116–Katigorah and 123–Karimganj North with the same EPIC number. After the system was unfrozen on February 11, 2026, the deletion process was completed and his name was officially removed from Karimganj North. The clarification stated that this was a procedural issue caused by the revision schedule and system process, not any wrongdoing.

Kamalakhya won his current seat on a Congress ticket, but he is now suspended from the party for alleged anti-party activities. Suspension means he cannot attend party meetings, hold party posts, or officially represent the Congress. However, he continues to be an MLA because suspension from a party does not automatically remove someone from the Assembly. Unless the Speaker decides to disqualify him under the Anti-Defection Law, he legally remains a member of the House.

His appearance in the BJP symbols in Katigorah is politically important. Katigorah is different from his current constituency. His visible presence there, along with reports that he may seek a BJP ticket from the seat, has led to strong speculation about a possible political shift. So far, there has been no formal announcement from him or from the BJP about any official joining.

This shift in his political stand comes after November 6, 2023, when the Chief Minister’s Vigilance Cell carried out a surprise visit to his residence over alleged irregularities related to the purchase of a tea garden. He was questioned several times in the months that followed. There is no official statement linking that investigation to his later public support for the BJP government. However, the sequence of events has drawn attention. By December 2023 and January 2024, Kamalakhya had openly expressed support for Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the state government, even though he remained a Congress-elected MLA.

In recent months, much of his political activity has been focused on Katigorah rather than Sribhumi North, the constituency he currently represents. He has attended events, inaugurated projects and held meetings in Katigorah. This has led to discussion in Sribhumi, where some voters feel their elected representative is spending more time elsewhere.

Sources inside the BJP say many ground-level workers in Katigorah are not happy with Kamalakhya showing interest in the seat. According to these sources, there is also dissatisfaction among sections of party workers over the state leadership entertaining him despite his Congress background. Some workers reportedly feel that giving him space could disturb the existing local leadership structure and affect long-time party loyalists.

India Today NE reached out to Debabrata Saikia, Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Assembly, and asked about what he described as Kamalakhya’s “saffronification.” Saikia said Kamalakhya has been suspended from the Congress for anti-party activities and that the party has approached the Speaker seeking his expulsion. According to Saikia, even though a Congress-elected MLA is publicly showing support for the ruling government, no action has been taken by the Speaker so far. He alleged that the Speaker has been biased in handling the case.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to visit Katigorah on February 21 to inaugurate the Vibrant Village Programme 2.0 in Nathanpur village. The visit is focused on development, but politically, it comes at a sensitive time.

The picture of Kamalakhya wearing full BJP attire and appearing completely saffronised has certainly turned heads in political circles. It also raises an important question. If he is denied a BJP ticket from Katigorah, can he return to Sribhumi North, the constituency that elected him three times as a Congress MLA? That would be a political risk. The current MLA from Katigorah is Khalil Uddin Mazumder of the Congress. Whether Kamalakhya can build his own base in Katigorah as a BJP candidate, and whether voters there would accept him over an existing Congress MLA, remains uncertain.