Bhupen Borah to join BJP? Himanta confirms he will meet Congress leader in Guwahati

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday confirmed he would meet former state Congress chief Bhupen Borah, raising the prospect of a high-profile switch ahead of the assembly elections.

The meeting comes a day after Borah resigned from Congress, triggering a political storm in the state and putting the opposition on the defensive just months before voters head to the polls.

The chief minister signalled openness and expectation in equal measure. "Bhupen Bora remains the last prominent Hindu leader to have emerged as a grassroots worker of the Assam Congress. At his invitation, I will meet him this evening. It is my heartfelt wish that by joining the BJP family, he further strengthens our resolve to serve the nation and Assam," he said in a tweet.

Earlier in the day, Sarma told reporters that whether Borah joins the BJP or not would become clear after 7 pm.

Borah, 55, who recently stepped down as Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) chief, struck a cautious note. Speaking to reporters, he said he would announce by Tuesday night his final decision on whether or not he would withdraw his resignation, as requested by the party's central leadership.

He said there were many issues he wanted to discuss with his well-wishers, close associates, and people of Lakhimpur district, from where he hails, before taking a final decision.

On Monday, Sarma had said the doors of the BJP were open for Borah and promised to "get him elected from a safe assembly seat" if he joined the saffron party. The chief minister was expected to visit Borah's residence in the evening.

Borah, after resigning, took a swipe at a section of Congress leaders, saying he was prepared to stay in the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) but not in "APCC (R)", in an apparent reference to the party's Dhubri MP Rakibul Hussain. "I have also made this clear in my resignation letter to the high command," he added.

The Congress high command quickly moved to contain the fallout. AICC state in-charge Jitendra Singh said Borah had withdrawn his resignation following intervention by the party leadership, including president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi. "The party leadership has discussed the matter with Borah. Rahul Gandhi also spoke to him for 15 minutes," Singh told reporters outside Borah's house.

But Borah appeared to keep his options open. Emerging from his residence, he said he had sought time from the high command to reconsider his decision. "My old colleagues and the party's central leadership came to my house, and I respect them. I have sought time till tomorrow morning so that I can talk to my family and make a decision in this regard," he said.

In his resignation letter to Kharge, Borah claimed he was being "ignored" by the party leadership and not being accorded his due in the state unit.

Sarma described Borah as the "last Hindu leader" in the party without a political family background. "His resignation carries the symbolic message that in Congress, no one from a normal family can prosper. The Congress does not give recognition to people from ordinary families, but I hail from an ordinary middle-class family, and the BJP has made me a chief minister. We stay opposite to the politics of blue blood," he told reporters outside the Assembly.

Borah served as president of the Assam Congress unit from 2021 to 2025 before being replaced by Gaurav Gogoi last year. He is a two-time legislator from Bihpuria.

With elections to the 126 assembly constituencies in Assam likely to be held in March-April this year, Borah's next move could reshape the opposition's strategy and energise the BJP’s campaign narrative.