Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi Joins BJP, Himanta Predicts More Defections

Congress Member of Parliament Pradyut Bordoloi formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in New Delhi on Thursday, in the presence of Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma and state BJP president Dilip Saikia.

Following his induction into the party, Bordoloi met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Minister Piyush Goyal.

The move drew immediate reactions from across the political spectrum — with Congress leaders expressing regret, and the BJP framing it as a sign of things to come.

Also Read: Assam CM opens BJP’s door for Pradyut Bordoloi

Speaking after joining the BJP, Bordoloi acknowledged the Congress party's role in shaping his political career, but said the environment within the state unit had become untenable for him.

"The Congress did a lot to mould my political career. However, there is no congenial environment in the state Congress for me to stay. That's why I have resigned. I'm saddened to take this step, but I've no option left. I was mentally and internally exhausted," he said.

By joining the BJP, Bordoloi gives up the remaining three-plus years of his Lok Sabha term — a point the Chief Minister was quick to highlight.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma framed Bordoloi's move as one driven by principle rather than personal gain.

"Pradyut Bordoloi has joined the BJP not to get something. Rather, he has joined us by making sacrifices — the remaining over three years of his Lok Sabha term. The BJP's karyakartas always honour those who make sacrifices," Sarma said.

He added that if the party high command offers Bordoloi the opportunity to contest the upcoming Assembly election, ensuring his victory would be the party's responsibility.

Sarma went further, predicting a continued exodus from the Congress, naming senior leaders Debabrata Saikia and Ripun Bora as likely future additions to the BJP after the Assembly election.

"We initiated the process of bringing in the assets of the Congress in 2016, and we have successfully completed around 90 per cent of the task," he said.

The defection drew a personal response from AICC leader Priyanka Gandhi, who described the development as genuinely regrettable.

"It's unfortunate and truly regrettable. I think he was upset over one ticket allocation, and I wish we had had the chance to discuss it," she said.

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Gaurav Gogoi echoed that sentiment, calling the development "unfortunate."

Bordoloi had been a Congress member since 1975 — a nearly five-decade association that now ends as the party heads into a crucial state election.

Sarma attributed the wider wave of defections to what he described as a fundamental shift in the Congress party's ideology and philosophy, saying leaders with self-respect had begun to feel increasingly uncomfortable within the organisation.

The timing of the switch — with Assembly elections just weeks away — adds another layer of political weight to the development, and will likely intensify pressure on the Congress to consolidate its remaining leadership in Assam.