Assam MP Pradyut Bordoloi Officially Joins BJP Following Congress Resignation
In a significant political development, Nagaon Lok Sabha MP Pradyut Bordoloi officially joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday after resigning from the Congress. Bordoloi stated that his decision was driven by persistent internal humiliation and a complete lack of support from the party leadership, marking a notable defection ahead of the Assam Assembly elections.
"Feeling Suffocated": Bordoloi Details Humiliation Within Congress
"There is not just one reason. I was feeling suffocated, and I was being humiliated," Bordoloi told news agency ANI, explaining his departure from the Congress party he had been associated with for years. The MP elaborated that his breaking point came during an Assam Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting where Congress leader Imran Masood dismissed his serious allegations against a candidate as "fabricated."
Bordoloi had accused the candidate of running a criminal nexus and presented evidence to support his claims. However, Masood, the Lok Sabha MP from Saharanpur and a member of the Congress screening committee for Assam elections, publicly rejected these allegations in the presence of top party leadership.
"I came to know that a communal leader like Imran Masood said that everything I was talking about and saying about a candidate against whom I had given evidence of a criminal nexus was false and fabricated," Bordoloi revealed. "Imran Masood, in the presence of the party's top leadership, had the audacity to say that all that Pradyut Bordoloi said was fabricated. The APCC president present there remained silent. This hurt me a lot."
Joining Ceremony and Political Context
Bordoloi formally joined the BJP in the presence of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and state BJP President Dilip Saikia. This move comes just a month after former Assam Congress chief Bhupen Kumar Borah also joined the BJP after serving three decades in the Congress, indicating a pattern of senior Congress leaders switching allegiance in the state.
The MP emphasized that his resignation resulted from "multiple issues" and was not solely linked to ticket allocation for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections. "For me, getting a ticket was not a question of life and death. There were multiple issues. What was important for me was to hold my head high. The Congress party has given me a lot," he told media representatives.
Bordoloi, who is in his second term as Lok Sabha MP with three years remaining, added: "I want to make it very clear that I am in my second term in Lok Sabha, and there are another three years to go. I could have accepted the humiliation if I wanted to remain as an MP. But I decided to leave and work."
Congress Response and Electoral Implications
Following Bordoloi's resignation, the Congress has fielded his son from the Margherita assembly constituency for the upcoming Assembly polls. Meanwhile, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra commented on the situation, stating "Vichaar-dhara bhi kuch hoti hai" (ideology also matters), stressing that political ideology should be considered in such decisions.
Elections for all 126 Assembly constituencies in Assam will be held in a single phase on April 9, with vote counting scheduled for May 4, according to the Election Commission of India. Assam is set to witness a direct contest between the ruling BJP-led NDA alliance and the Congress opposition for control of the 126-seat Assembly.
The BJP, led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, will seek a third consecutive term in power, while the Congress aims to unseat the ruling party. Bordoloi's defection represents a significant development in this high-stakes electoral battle, potentially influencing voter perceptions and party dynamics in the crucial northeastern state.
