Former Congress Assam chief Bhupen Kumar Borah resigned from the party on Monday, blaming Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi’s high-handedness and favouritism for his decision.
Borah’s resignation comes as a major setback for the Congress ahead of the Assembly elections in Assam later this year.
“I sent my resignation to the Congress High Command at 8 am this morning and explained in detail why I was compelled to take this stand. This is not a personal decision. I have given 32 years to the party and joined it in 1994. This principle is not merely personal; it is driven by concern for the party’s future. That is why I conveyed everything in detail to the Congress High Command,” Borah told reporters.
VIDEO | Former Assam Congress chief Bhupen Borah resigns from Congress ahead of the Assembly polls in Assam.
He says, “I sent my resignation to the Congress High Command at 8 am this morning and explained in detail why I was compelled to take this stand. This is not a personal… pic.twitter.com/aXRVvRAjIC
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 16, 2026
Assam CM Calls Borah’s Resignation A ‘Symbolic Message’
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma reacted to reports of Borah’s resignation from the Congress, describing the move as a “symbolic message” about the party’s condition in the state.
Speaking to reporters, Sarma claimed that Borah was the last prominent Hindu leader in the Assam Congress who did not hold the post of MLA or minister, and said his resignation reflects internal dissatisfaction within the party.
“Bhupen Borah’s resignation carries a symbolic message that in Congress, no one from a normal family can prosper,” Sarma said. He added that Borah had accused the Congress of indulging in appeasement politics.
The Chief Minister said that Borah has not reached out to the Bharatiya Janata Party regarding joining. “However, he has not contacted us for any joining. Tomorrow evening I will visit his house,” Sarma said, recalling that three years ago the BJP was ready to welcome Borah and offer him a “safe seat.”
“For anyone to join the BJP, we need to do a lot of calibration within the party, as we don’t have vacancies. All the seats where a Hindu, Indian or Indian Muslim can win are filled,” he said.
More Resignations Likely?
Sarma predicted more defections from the Congress in the coming days, regardless of whether leaders formally join the BJP.
“After Gaurav Gogoi’s Pakistan link, a lot of Hindu Congress leaders are joining the BJP at the grassroots. Four to five MLAs may also join in 10–15 days, but we are not encouraging them to do so now as there is a Rajya Sabha election pending,” he said.
Sarma further asserted that Borah’s resignation signals that the Congress has “lost its last Hindu leader” in the state.
