Gaurav Gogoi Calls Bordoloi Exit "Unfortunate" but Vows to Oust Himanta

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Gaurav Gogoi on Wednesday called the resignation and defection of senior Congress leader and Nagaon Lok Sabha MP Pradyut Bordoloi "unfortunate" — but made clear that it would do nothing to slow the party's campaign to remove Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma from power.

Gogoi addressed reporters at Dibrugarh Airport upon landing from Delhi, striking a tone of measured restraint mixed with pointed defiance.

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Gogoi reminded reporters of what the Congress party had offered Bordoloi in recent years — including the Nagaon Lok Sabha ticket just two years ago, which Bordoloi won.

He noted that in the current election cycle, the party had also offered a family member of Bordoloi the opportunity to contest a Vidhan Sabha seat.

"If our current Nagaon Lok Sabha Member of Parliament wants to continue Himanta Biswa Sarma as the Chief Minister, well, that is his decision, which is rather unfortunate, but personal," Gogoi said.

Gogoi was unequivocal that the departure of one leader would not derail the party's electoral momentum or its central mission.

"This election is much more important than one person. This election is about freeing Assam from the clutches of Himanta Biswa Sarma, freeing Assam from his politics of fear and intimidation, and freeing Assam from the mafia raj that has crept in during his tenure," he said.

Pushing back against any narrative of a party in disarray, Gogoi characterised the move as a routine internal disagreement rather than a sign of deeper structural fracture within the Congress.

"I don't think one difference of opinion over one seat is the reason to leave a party and join the rival," he stated, framing the defection as a personal decision rather than a political crisis for the organisation.