Bordoloi’s Exit Deepens Assam Congress Crisis

Assam Congress Crisis Deepens: MP Bordoloi’s Switch Signals More Defections Before 2026 Vote.   By Manzar Alam

In a dramatic turn just weeks before the Assam Assembly elections, senior Congress leader and Nagaon Lok Sabha MP Pradyut Bordoloi resigned from the Indian National Congress on March 17, 2026, after nearly five decades of association (since 1975), and formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) the very next day in New Delhi.

The 69-year-old veteran — a four-time MLA from Margherita, former minister in Tarun Gogoi’s cabinets handling portfolios like Industries and Power, and two-time MP — submitted a brief resignation letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, “With an overwhelming sense of sadness today, I hereby tender my resignation from all posts, privileges and the primary membership of the Indian National Congress.”

Hours later, Bordoloi was welcomed into the BJP fold in the presence of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and state BJP president Dilip Saikia. The induction was fast-tracked ahead of the BJP’s parliamentary board meeting, with Sarma announcing that the state unit would recommend Bordoloi — who faces potential disqualification from the Lok Sabha under anti-defection rules — as a candidate for the April 9 single-phase Assembly polls.

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Bordoloi cited years of feeling “suffocated,” “humiliated,” and sidelined, particularly after backing Shashi Tharoor in the 2022 Congress presidential election. “It all started when I supported Dr Shashi Tharoor, then I was shunted out from every forum inside the party,” he stated. He described a pattern of disrespect over the last two years, including an explosive March 13 Central Election Committee meeting in Delhi where Uttar Pradesh Congress leader Imran Masood allegedly dismissed his evidence of criminal links involving a Lahorighat candidate as “fabricated.” Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi’s silence during the episode, Bordoloi said, “hurt me a lot.”

He rejected the narrative that the exit was solely over ticket distribution: “I have been humiliated in various ways… The respect I should have received as a senior leader, I haven’t received that.” Calling the switch “the most difficult decision of my life” and a “sacrifice” (with three years of his MP term remaining), Bordoloi emphasised he joined the BJP “in the interest of Assam” to “work with my head held high for the sake of the Assamese people.”

National Congress leadership reacted with measured regret. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra called the development “very unfortunate” and “truly regrettable,” adding, “I think he was upset over one ticket allocation, and I wish we had a chance to have a conversation about it… Vichaar-dhara bhi kuch hoti hai” (ideology also matters). She stopped short of deeper introspection on internal party dynamics.

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State Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi initially dismissed early reports of resignation as “political smear” by the BJP and described the eventual exit as an “unfortunate but personal” decision, while stressing that the party had given Bordoloi and his family ample opportunities.

BJP leaders, by contrast, framed it as validation of their dominance. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma declared: “There is no reason for someone with self-respect to stay with the Congress party.”

Welcoming Bordoloi, he added that the induction “will strengthen the BJP” and advance “Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a Viksit Bharat, Viksit Assam.” He hinted at more Congress exits “in the coming two days” and confirmed Bordoloi’s likely ticket.

Impact on Assam Politics: Congress Erosion, BJP Consolidation

Bordoloi’s departure is the latest in a string of high-profile Congress exits in Assam, following former state president Bhupen Kumar Borah’s switch to the BJP in February 2026. With this, Congress has lost one of its three Lok Sabha MPs in the state, severely denting its organisational depth in central Assam, especially Nagaon and Margherita (where Bordoloi’s son Prateek remains a Congress candidate).

It exposes deep fissures: senior leaders versus a younger leadership bloc around Gaurav Gogoi, alleged neglect of grassroots feedback on candidates, and a perception that the party is tolerating “communal” elements or ignoring security concerns (Bordoloi had raised issues linked to a 2025 attack on him).

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For the BJP, the gain is strategic. Himanta — himself a former Congress heavyweight — continues to build a “Congress-mukt” ecosystem around him, bolstering outreach to moderate and upper-Assam voters.

Bordoloi brings decades of administrative experience, local networks, and manifesto expertise, potentially aiding BJP’s narrative on development and stability. The move also serves as potent campaign ammunition: “Even senior Congressmen are abandoning a sinking ship.”

Outlook for the 2026 Assembly Elections

With polls on April 9 across 126 seats, the timing could not be worse for Congress. The party, already struggling to forge a cohesive anti-BJP front, faces eroded cadre morale and questions over its Assam unit’s functioning. Bordoloi’s switch may trigger further defections and complicate seat-sharing or alliances. In contrast, the BJP-led NDA (contesting 89 seats, with allies AGP and BPF) enters with fresh momentum, incumbency advantage, and a unified pitch under Himanta’s energetic leadership.

Analysts see this as tilting the scales further toward a third consecutive BJP term. The defection injects “new uncertainty” into Congress’s campaign while sharpening BJP’s edge in key constituencies. Whether Congress can arrest its slide through last-minute course correction remains doubtful; for now, Pradyut Bordoloi’s exit symbolises the grand old party’s deepening crisis in Assam — and the BJP’s relentless march.