Guwahati, March 18: The Indian National Congress faced a major setback in Assam on March 18 after senior leader and Nagaon MP Pradyut Bordoloi formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in New Delhi.
A four-time MLA from the Margherita constituency and a former cabinet minister, Bordoloi joined the BJP in the presence of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and state BJP president Dilip Saikia. His defection triggered immediate backlash from Congress workers, particularly in Margherita, where he had long held political influence.
Within minutes of the development, party workers at the Margherita Block Congress Committee office removed and tore down posters and photographs of Bordoloi from the Congress Bhawan, reflecting anger and a sense of betrayal at the grassroots level.
Tensions also escalated at Rajiv Bhawan in Nagaon, where agitated workers gathered following the announcement. Protesters reportedly vandalised party property, tearing down and burning posters and banners of the former Congress leader while raising slogans against him.
Several workers expressed shock and disappointment over the sudden move, stating that they had not anticipated such a decision. One worker said Bordoloi had played a key role in guiding them politically and that internal differences could have been resolved through dialogue rather than defection.
Another party member alleged that Bordoloi’s political rise had been supported by senior Congress leader Rakibul Hussain, who brought him into prominence in Nagaon. The worker further claimed that Bordoloi had distanced himself after becoming an MP and that his switch to the BJP would not significantly affect the Congress.
Bordoloi’s exit adds to a series of high-profile departures from the Congress in Assam, intensifying concerns over internal cohesion as the state approaches a crucial electoral phase.
