Silchar: Former Assam Congress president Bhupen Kumar Bora on Sunday officially joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), ending its 32-year-old association with the Congress ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.
He joined the BJP at the state party headquarters in Guwahati in the presence of Assam BJP president Dilip Saikia and other senior leaders. This development came days after Bora resigned from Congress due to disagreements with the senior leadership.
Soon after joining the BJP, Bora said he dedicated a major part of his political life to the Congress but felt ignored when he faced discrimination within the party.
“I reached out to leaders like Rahul Gandhi, but no one bothered to listen to me or address the issues related to the party’s ideology,” he said, adding that he did not initially leave the Congress with the intention of joining the BJP.
Bora claimed that more Congress leaders may switch to the BJP before the Assembly elections. “More than 700 Congress leaders have sought tickets for the Assembly elections. After the party announces its list of candidates, I will give the BJP a list of names of Congress leaders who are ready to switch,” he added.
“I welcome him as a member of the BJP and wish him a successful future. I would suggest him to forget the bitter memories of the Congress. He will be a strong support for us,” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Sunday.
Leader of Opposition in the Assam Assembly, Debabrata Saikia, said Borah has been given enough opportunities in the Congress and if he still feels dissatisfied, he is free to seek it in the BJP.
“He has been with Congress for 32 years and was the president of APCC. We also saw how he was given a junior chair during the meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah,” Saikia said. I wish him a good future.”
