Silchar: Former Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Bhupen Kumar Bora on Sunday officially joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.
The 55-year-old politician formally joined the BJP at the party’s state headquarters in Guwahati in the presence of Assam BJP president Dilip Saikia and other senior leaders.
This development came days after Borah resigned from Congress, ending his 32-year association, citing differences with the high command as the main reason for his exit.
Bora represented the Bihpuria Assembly seat for two consecutive terms between 2006 and 2016. He was appointed Assam Congress president in August 2021 and was replaced in May last year, with the post handed over to Lok Sabha MP and former Prime Minister Tarun Gogoi’s son, Gaurav Gogoi.
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 said he started his political journey through the National Students Union of India (NSUI) and then the Youth Congress before becoming a key organizational leader in Assam and the North East. He served as APCC president from 2021 to 2024 and was considered a strong organizational face of the party during a difficult phase in the state. Under his leadership, the Congress won three Lok Sabha seats from Assam in the recent parliamentary elections.
He represented Bihpuriya constituency in Lakhimpur district as a member of the Assam Legislative Assembly for consecutive terms from 2006 to 2016. During the tenure of former Prime Minister Tarun Gogoi, he also served as Parliamentary Secretary and was actively involved in party communications as a spokesperson.
Read also: Former Assam Congress president Bora to join BJP on February 22: CM Himanta Sarma
In his farewell address, Bora alleged that senior MP Rakbul Hussain exerted disproportionate influence on the party’s affairs in Assam, even referring to the state unit as ‘APCC-R’, meaning Hussain’s control.
He also claimed that state Congress president and MP Gaurav Gogoi was largely acting as a figurehead, while the real control over the organizational structure lay elsewhere. Hussein did not respond directly to these allegations, but said he would address the matter in due course.
After Bora’s resignation, Prime Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said: “I have special respect for him because he was the last Hindu leader of the Assam Congress and his father was not a prime minister or a minister. We will try to make him a member of the Indian Army.”
“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.
Bora further 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.
Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Assam Assembly Debabrata Saikia said Bora 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.”
