More Congress MLAs to go saffron in Assam? ‘No vacancy now, but there’s a schedule,’ says CM Sarma | India News
New Delhi: Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sharma A day after former Assam Congress chief Bhupen Borah defected to the ruling party, there is an “agenda” for several senior Congress leaders to join the BJP in the constituency, Monday claimed.Sarma, himself a former Congressman, added that eventually, “no Hindu will be left behind” in Assam’s opposition.At an event in Guwahati, he was asked whether more Congress MLAs would join the BJP ahead of the Assembly elections expected in April.
“There are no vacancies in BJP now. If we bring MLAs now, how will we give them tickets?” Sarma replied.“There is a schedule, and they (Congress leaders) will attend accordingly. Some will join in 2027, some before the 2029 Lok Sabha polls and others before the 2031 Assembly polls. One thing, however, is certain that no Hindu leader will be in the party,” he said, referring to the Congress.The Assam chief minister also said that the saffron party has almost finalized its list of candidates, while the rest of the names will be discussed with allies. He mentioned that the final list will be announced after discussions with the BJP central leadership in Delhi.Borah, who headed the Assam unit of the Congress from July 2021 to May 2025, resigned on February 16. He sought time to “reconsider” his decision after speaking to Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and former party national president Rahul Gandhi. The state Congress leadership also rushed to Borah’s residence to try to convince him to withdraw his resignation.However, Sarma met Borah the next day and announced that the former state Congress chief would join the BJP, dealing a significant blow ahead of the assembly elections.Since then, Sarma has maintained that “several senior Hindu leaders” of the Assam Congress will defect to the BJP.(with PTI input)
