Before the assembly elections, the turning point has finally come in the politics of Assam, which experts were predicting for months. A day after resigning from the Congress on February 16, former Assam Congress president Bhupen Kumar Bora finally made it clear that he will join the Bharatiya Janata Party. His decision has intensified the stir in the politics of the state.
While talking to the media on Tuesday, February 17, Bora openly raised questions on the functioning of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC). He alleged that the real decision-making power is concentrated in the hands of Dhubri Lok Sabha MP Rakibul Hussain.
Bora said, “APCC is now APCC-R, which is difficult for me. I want to be a part of APCC, but not APCC-R. It is like a faction of a party. Over the years, those who have been close to me in Congress, I have told them that if you want to remain in Congress, don’t stay in APCC, you have to stay in APCC-R.” According to him, many leaders within the party are feeling marginalized, but are not able to come forward openly.
Referring to the Samaguri by-election to be held in November 2024, Bora said, “Hussain’s son Tanzil was nominated from this seat because Hussain had gone to the Lok Sabha.” This seat was eventually won by Diplu Ranjan Sarma of BJP.
Bora revealed that he himself wanted to contest from Samaguri. He said, “If I had really been the APCC President, if I had contested the by-election from Samguri, would it not have been for the benefit of the party?” Bhupen Bora revealed that leaders Debabrata Saikia and Paban Singh Ghatowar had also advised him to contest the elections.
On the morning of 16 February, Bora submitted his resignation to Congress President Malikkarjun Kharge and Supreme leader Rahul Gandhi. After this, political turmoil intensified in Guwahati and many senior leaders reached his residence to woo him.
Those who met him included Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi, AICC’s Assam in-charge Jitendra Singh, Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia, MP Pradyut Bordoloi and AICC national secretary Manoj Chauhan. At that time Jitendra Singh had said that Bora’s resignation has not been accepted and Bora had also sought time for the final decision.
However, within a day he publicly announced his decision to join the BJP. The Election Commission has not yet announced the dates of the assembly elections. 55-year-old Bora was removed from the post of state president in May 2025 and the responsibility was handed over to Gaurav Gogoi in his place. He has been a prominent face of Congress in Assam for a long time. His decision to join BJP is being seen as a significant change in the electoral politics of the state.
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