New Delhi: After intense drama unfolded Tuesday evening over the resignation of Pradyut Bordoloi, a two-time MP from Nagaon in Assam and a former minister in the Tarun Gogoi government, Bordoloi Wednesday formally joined the BJP ahead of the crucial Assam polls.
Bordoloi had tendered his resignation Tuesday evening to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. He joined the BJP in the presence of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and BJP Assam chief Dilip Saikia.
The Lok Sabha MP from Nagaon had accused the Congress leadership of sidelining him and had also targeted Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi.
Addressing the media late Tuesday night, Bordoloi said: “Today, I have abandoned one of the most important principles of my life, and I am not happy with it… However, I made this decision because I was being insulted on many issues by anyone who approached me from within the Congress party, especially in the Assam Congress. Even the Congress leadership was not showing sympathy towards me,” he told the media.
“I have become very lonely because I have been associated with the Congress all my life… But of late, I have been having a lot of difficulty surviving, so I have to make this decision. Yes, I have submitted this resignation letter to the AICC president,” he added.
Confirming Bordoloi’s joining, Sarma said, “Inspired by Adarniya Modi-ji’s vision for Bharat, the Hon’ble Member of Parliament from Nagaon and other distinguished persons have joined our BJP Parivar today.”
Inspired by Adarniya Modi Ji’s vision for Bharat, the Hon’ble Member of Parliament from Nagaon and other distinguished persons have joined our BJP Parivar today. https://t.co/IFt6Ead74N
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) March 18, 2026
Earlier in the day, reacting to the resignation of Bordoloi, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra termed it “very unfortunate” and said it was related to ticket allocation.
“I think he was upset over one ticket allocation, and we wish we had a chance to have a conversation about it,” she told the media.
Earlier Gaurav Gogoi had said that he had held a meeting with Bordoloi along with Congress general secretary Jitendra Singh to discuss the preparations for the upcoming polls. As drama unfolded on Tuesday and Wednesday, Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat said there was a need to end the state of confusion especially ahead of the elections.
“Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi stated that he has not resigned. There is a state of confusion… I urge the Assam Congress leaders that elections are the time to stand with the party… Dialogue is the best way to resolve the differences… I am hopeful that everything will be fine,” he said hours before Bordoloi joined the BJP.
Apart from Bordoloi, Navajyoti Talukdar also resigned from the post of vice-president of Assam Congress, as All India Congress Committee member, and from the primary membership of the Congress. Speaking to the media, Talukdar described Sarma ad a “dynamic” leader. “Today, our MP Pradyut Bordoloi is joining the BJP. The Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, is a very dynamic leader. We have spoken to the Chief Minister of Assam,” he said.
The political tone in the state intensified Tuesday with Congress MP and state president of Assam Congress Gaurav Gogoi alleging that CM Sarma was trying to tarnish the image of Bordoloi through a “coordinated media narrative”.
Addressing the media on Tuesday, the Assam Congress chief alleged that the reports of Bordoloi’s resignation were a deliberate attempt to politically weaken the Congress ahead of the Assam elections. Till late night, Gogoi said the ‘rumour’ of the resignation was misinformation.
Bordoloi, who was considered close to former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, said in his letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote: “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.”
For the Congress his exit has come as a major jolt as it comes months after former Assam Congress chief Bhupen Kumar Borah’s resignation who also joined the BJP last month. Borah had quit the party over differences with the state leadership and had also raised questions over Gogoi’s functioning.
With the exit of Bordoloi, the Congress has lost one of its three Lok Sabha MPs from Assam. Bordoloi in the past has represented Margherita constituency in Assam for four terms from 1998 to 2016. He has also served as a minister in the Assam government between 2001 and 2015.
Reacting to the resignation of Bordoloi which comes days before Assam polls, Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi had termed it a matter of concern.
“It is a matter of concern that leaders from the Indian National Congress are being repeatedly poached and brought into the Bharatiya Janata Party, with even elected representatives switching sides,” she told the media.
Bordoloi was elected to the Assam Legislative Assembly from Margherita in a by-election in 1998 and was re-elected in 2001, 2006, and 2011. He was elected to the Lok Sabha in 2019 and in 2024.
“For me, getting a ticket was not a question of life and death. There were multiple issues. What was important for me was to hold my head high. The Congress has given me a lot,” Bordoloi had told the media.
Assembly elections will be held in Assam on 9 April, with counting of votes on 4 May.
The BJP-led coalition is pitched against a Congress-led bloc with the BJP hoping to make a comeback.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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