On Monday, Assam’s Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, said he was glad former state Congress leader Bhupen Kumar Borah had resigned; Sarma also stated he’d go to Borah’s home Tuesday evening. Borah had taken ‘Congress’ off his X profile, which made people think he was about to officially leave the party at a particularly tense time in Assam politics.
Sarma suggests Borah is welcome to join
Sarma stated Borah hadn’t yet gotten in touch with the BJP to ask about joining, but he repeated that the party had been willing to have him before. The chief minister said he would ‘welcome’ Borah, and reminded everyone of earlier offers of a ‘safe seat’ – meaning that talks might start after his visit.
Sarma made it clear that actually bringing Borah into the BJP would need some thought within the party, as there aren’t many openings for seats they are likely to win. He showed that the party’s plans must consider if people can win, how the population is made up, and the people already in the party, so indicating a careful, well-planned way of dealing with any well-known people who might join.
What’s said about a crisis in Congress, and what it means
Using Borah’s resignation, the chief minister sharply criticised Congress in Assam, saying the party was in a ‘terrible state’. He said the move was symbolic, and Borah was the ‘last Hindu leader’ in the state party, and his leaving showed that the party as a whole was getting worse.
Sarma also accused the state Congress of changing its ways to try to please one group of people, and said meetings at district level now often start with prayers from only one community. These claims are meant to make people think that the disagreement is about beliefs and how the party is organised, a story likely meant to appeal to voters before state elections.
Talk of people leaving, and when the Rajya Sabha vote is
Sarma claimed that a number of local Congress leaders were getting ready to join the BJP, and predicted four or five Congress MLAs would do the same in a few days. He said people leaving were being timed to match the Rajya Sabha elections – with some changes being put off to avoid problems in an election right away.
He connected these moves to problems with Gaurav Gogoi, saying there was a ‘Pakistan link’ that, he thought, had made Hindu Congress leaders leave more quickly. These statements are an effort to connect what’s happening nationally to changes in local parties and getting new people to join.
Borah’s resignation and what he has done in politics
Bhupen Borah announced he had sent his resignation to the party’s top people, saying he’d spent 32 years in the organisation and was doing this because he was worried about its future. He said differences in beliefs and the party trying to please people were why he had made his decision.
Borah had recently been in charge of talks with regional groups – including the Raijor Dal, led by Akhil Gogoi – as part of building an opposition alliance. His leaving makes those efforts harder and raises questions about how well the opposition can work together before the 2026 Assam Assembly elections.
What this means for the 2026 Assam elections and party plans
Borah leaving creates both immediate impressions and longer-term plans for all the parties in Assam. The BJP’s possible gains depend on carefully deciding which seats to give to people, and managing the ambitions of local leaders; while Congress will need to improve the spirit of the party and give confidence to regional partners.
Political people who study politics will see if Borah’s resignation leads to a wider change in parties, or stays as one person leaving. The timing, before important visits and the Rajya Sabha vote, makes it more important, and so short-term political moves are likely as parties get ready for a tough 2026 campaign.
The next few days will show whether Borah will officially join the BJP, or go another way. Sarma’s planned visit and what he has said publicly show he is actively trying to get people to join, while Congress faces the two jobs of stopping more people leaving and rebuilding before the next election.
