Ahead of the much-anticipated elections in Assam, Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi on Wednesday joined the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, a day after resigning from the party.
Joined BJP in presence of Sarma, Saikia
Bordoloi joined the BJP in the presence of Assam chief minister Sarma and state BJP chief Dilip Saikia.
He accused the Congress leadership of sidelining him, saying it brought an end to his long association with the party amid claims of internal mistreatment.
He said his resignation was due to “multiple issues” rather than just the matter of ticket allocation for the 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 was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
“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,” he added.
Congress Terms Move ‘Unfortunate’
Reacting to the development, Congress MP and the party’s screening committee chairperson for Assam, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, called Bordoloi’s decision “unfortunate”. She also suggested that differences over ticket distribution may have led to the decision.
“I think he was upset over ticket allocation, and I wish we had a chance to have a conversation, it is unfortunate,” Vadra told reporters inside the Parliament House complex.
Congress MP Imran Masood said the party would try to convince Bordoloi to rethink his decision. Bordoloi is an MP from Assam’s Nagaon Lok Sabha seat.
Assam Elections Schedule
Assembly elections in Assam will take place in a single phase on April 9, along with Kerala and Puducherry. Tamil Nadu will vote on April 23, while West Bengal will hold elections in two phases on April 23 and April 29, the Election Commission said on Sunday.
Counting of votes for all states and Union territories will be held on May 4.
