After 32 years with Congress, former Assam party chief Bhupen Borah joins BJP

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2 min readGuwahatiUpdated: Feb 22, 2026 10:39 PM IST

Former Assam Congress president Bhupen Borah. (File Photo)

Former Assam Congress president Bhupen Borah formally joined the BJP on Sunday, a week after he resigned from the Congress.

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Borah, who had been with the Congress for 32 years and was the president of the Assam Congress unit until Gaurav Gogoi took charge in June last year, submitted his resignation to the party’s central leadership on February 16.

On Sunday, he was formally inducted into the BJP in the party’s state headquarters in the presence of state BJP president Dilip Saikia.

After the induction, Borah claimed that “self-respecting Assamese” would leave the Congress for the BJP.

After Borah’s resignation, Congress leaders, including Gogoi; Jitendra Singh, the AICC general secretary in charge of Assam; Assam Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia; MP Pradyut Bordoloi; and AICC national secretary and Assam co-in-charge Manoj Chauhan, had rushed to his residence to meet him. After the meeting, Jitendra Singh had announced that the party had not accepted his resignation, and Borah told the media that he had sought “some time” to arrive at his final decision.

However, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited him the next day, after which he said he would join the BJP.

In an interview with The Indian Express, Borah had said that the Congress leadership did not address his grievances about being sidelined, and about factionalism in the party.

Sukrita Baruah is a Principal Correspondent for The Indian Express, based in Guwahati. From this strategic hub, she provides comprehensive, ground-level coverage of India's North East, a region characterized by its complex ethnic diversity, geopolitical significance, and unique developmental challenges. Expertise and Experience Ethnic & Social Dynamics: Deep-dive coverage of regional conflicts (such as the crisis in Manipur) and peace-building efforts. Border & Geopolitics: Tracking developments along India’s international borders and their impact on local communities. Governance & Policy: Reporting on state elections, tribal council decisions, and the implementation of central schemes in the North East. Specialized Education Background: Prior to her current role, Sukrita was a dedicated Education Correspondent for The Indian Express in Delhi. This experience provided her with a sharp analytical lens for: Policy Analysis: Evaluating the National Education Policy (NEP) and university-level reforms. Student Affairs: Covering high-stakes stories regarding campus politics, national entrance exams, and the challenges within the primary and secondary education sectors. ... Read More

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