Silchar: Former Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Bhupen Kumar Borah on Sunday formally 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.

The development came days after Borah resigned from the Congress, ending his 32-year-long association and citing differences with the senior leadership as the primary reason for his exit.

Borah represented the Bihpuria Assembly seat for two consecutive terms between 2006 and 2016. He was made the Assam Congress president in August 2021 and was replaced in May last year, with the position handed over to Lok Sabha MP and son of former chief minister Tarun Gogoi, Gaurav Gogoi.

After joining the BJP, Borah said he had devoted a large 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 nobody bothered to listen to me or address issues related to the party’s ideology,” he said, adding that he had not initially left the Congress with the intention of joining the BJP.

Borah said he started his political journey through the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and later the Youth Congress before emerging as a key organisational leader in Assam and the Northeast. He served as APCC president from 2021 to 2024 and was considered a strong organisational face of the party during a challenging phase in the state. Under his leadership, the Congress won three Lok Sabha seats from Assam in the last parliamentary elections.

He represented the Bihpuria constituency in Lakhimpur district as a member of the Assam Legislative Assembly for consecutive terms from 2006 to 2016. During the tenure of former chief minister Tarun Gogoi, he also served as parliamentary secretary and was actively involved in party communication as a spokesperson.

Also Read: Ex-Assam Congress president Borah to join BJP on Feb 22: CM Himanta Sarma

In his parting remarks, Borah alleged that senior lawmaker Rakibul Hussain exercised disproportionate influence over the party’s affairs in Assam, even referring to the state unit as “APCC-R”, implying control by Hussain.

He also claimed that state Congress chief and MP Gaurav Gogoi was functioning largely as a figurehead, while the real control of the organisational structure lay elsewhere. Hussain has not directly responded to the allegations but said he would address the matter in due course.

Following Borah’s resignation, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “I have special respect for him because he was the last Hindu leader in the Assam Congress whose father was not a chief minister or minister. We will try to make him an MLA.”

On Sunday, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “I welcome him as a BJP member and wish him a successful future. I would suggest that he forget the bitter memories of Congress. He will be a strong support for us.”

Borah further claimed that more Congress leaders may switch to the BJP ahead of the Assembly polls. “More than 700 leaders in Congress have sought tickets for the Assembly elections. After the party declares its list of candidates, I will give the BJP a list of Congress leaders who are willing to switch,” he added.

Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Assam Assembly, Debabrata Saikia, said Borah had been given adequate opportunities in the Congress and, if he still felt dissatisfied, he was free to seek them in the BJP.

“He was with the Congress for 32 years and was the president of the APCC. We also saw how he was given a smaller chair during the meeting with Union home minister Amit Shah. I wish him a good future,” Saikia said.