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Two days after quitting Congress; Assam MLA joins ruling BJP
Sushanta Borgohain is the second legislator from opposition Congress to quit and join BJP after the year’s assembly polls.
Two days after he resigned as the primary member of Congress, Sushanta Borgohain, MLA from Thowra seat in Assam’s Jorhat district, joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday.
The 43-year-old joined the BJP at the party’s Assam head office. BJP state president Bhabesh Kalita, minister Pijush Hazarika and several senior party officials were present on the occasion.
“I congratulate Borgohain on joining BJP and am sure the move will strengthen our party. I wish him the best in his new innings. Congress is now almost non-existent in Upper Assam,” chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said after Borgohain met him on Sunday.
The two-time legislator had resigned from Congress on Friday citing differences. On Saturday, in a letter addressed to Speaker Biswajit Daimary, he had resigned as MLA from the assembly.
“Since I have left Congress, I would not like to comment on the internal issues of that party. As I felt I had more possibility of serving my constituency better by joining BJP, I took that decision,” Borgohain said after joining BJP.
Borgohain is the second Congress MLA after Mariani legislator Rupjyoti Kurmi quit the party and move to BJP. The developments come within three months of the formation of the second BJP-led government in the state.
On Friday, the BJP Assam president told HT that another legislator, Phanidhar Talukdar of the opposition All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) from Bhabanipur seat, will also join the party towards the end of August.
“Assam CM isn’t focused on tasks at hand. The state is fast losing friends in the northeast thanks to his actions like issuing travel advisory urging residents of Assam not to visit Mizoram,” said state Congress president Bhupen Borah.
“Sarma is indulging in cheap politics like saying there is no need of opposition. Despite enjoying majority in the assembly, he and the BJP are busy poaching opposition MLAs and trying to establish a monopolistic regime,” he added.
In the assembly elections held in March-April this year, BJP had won 60 of the total 126 seats and returned to power with the support of Asom Gana Parishad which got 9 and United Peoples Party Liberal that got 6 seats. On the other hand, Congress bagged 26 and AIUDF got 16.
Less than a month after elections results were announced on May 2, two newly elected MLAs-Leho Ram Boro of UPPL and Majendra Narzary of Bodoland Peoples Party died due to Covid-19 complications. With Congress’s Kurmi resigning, three seats are vacant in the state at present.
With the elevation of former chief minister and Majuli MLA Sarbananda Sonowal to the rank of a cabinet minister in New Delhi, his seat will get vacant soon. And with the entry of Borgohain and Talkudar to BJP, two more seats are likely to become empty in the next few weeks.
