The Assam unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party marked its 47th Foundation Day on Monday with celebrations spread across the state — from the party's headquarters in Guwahati down to booth-level offices in every corner of Assam.
The timing, just days before the Assam Assembly election, gave the occasion an added political dimension.
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State BJP president Dilip Saikia led the Foundation Day proceedings at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Bhawan, the party's state headquarters in Guwahati, where he hoisted the party flag and paid tribute to the leaders who shaped the BJP's founding and growth.
Saikia invoked the legacies of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, urging party workers to carry forward their ideals in the service of nation-building.
He also paid homage to party workers who he said had sacrificed their lives for the organisation over the decades.
The Foundation Day was not confined to Guwahati. Party flags were hoisted simultaneously at 39 organisational district offices, 433 mandal offices, and more than 28,000 booth-level offices across Assam — a show of organisational reach that the BJP has been keen to highlight ahead of polling day.
The Foundation Day also served as the backdrop for a joining programme at the party's state headquarters, with several leaders from rival parties formally crossing over to the BJP.
From the Assam Pradesh Congress, Dr. Mridu Pawan Mahanta — President of the party's Medical Cell — and Bir Kumar Konwar, President of the Morigaon District Congress Committee, joined the BJP.
From the Assam Trinamool Congress, General Secretary Atul Dutta made the switch, along with Rakesh Bordoloi, Jhimpie Bordoloi, Surajit Das, Jayanta Baishya, and Joykun Basumatary.
The BJP is likely to use the high-profile defections as a campaign talking point in the final stretch before April 9 polling.