Assam MP Pradyut Bordoloi Joins BJP, Leaving Congress Ahead of Elections

Pradyut Bordoloi's Shift to BJP

On Wednesday, Assam's Lok Sabha MP Pradyut Bordoloi officially joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and BJP state president Dilip Saikia. This move comes as a significant blow to the opposition Congress party, as Bordoloi resigned just 20 days before the state assembly elections.

In his statement regarding his departure from Congress, Bordoloi expressed that there wasn't a single reason for his decision. He mentioned feeling suffocated and disrespected within the party.

Concerns Raised by Bordoloi

Bordoloi highlighted an incident from a meeting of the Assam Central Election Commission on March 13, where communal leader Imran Masood dismissed his claims about a candidate's criminal connections as false and fabricated. He felt deeply hurt by Masood's audacity to make such statements in front of the party's top leadership, while the APC president remained silent.

Reactions from Assam's Chief Minister

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma welcomed Bordoloi to the BJP, noting that his long-standing association with Congress since 1975 would now strengthen the BJP. Sarma stated that the party would recommend Bordoloi as a candidate for the upcoming assembly elections, emphasizing that there was no reason for a person with self-respect to remain in Congress. He also mentioned that the BJP aims to attract more leaders from Congress.

Sarma further indicated that several others, including New Jyoti Talukdar, would be joining the BJP in Guwahati, with plans to finalize the list of candidates later that evening. He refrained from commenting specifically on Imran Masood, suggesting that he would need to search online to learn more about him.