Just months before the crucial Assembly elections in Assam, three legislators from the Indian National Congress joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday, signalling a significant political shift in the state. The MLAs—Kamalakhya De Purakayastha, Sashikanta Das, and Basanta Das—were inducted into the party along with two other leaders at a formal event.
The induction ceremony was led by Assam BJP president Dilip Saikia in the presence of Union minister Pabitra Margherita. The development comes close on the heels of former Assam Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah joining the BJP recently, a move that has intensified political realignments ahead of the elections to the 126-member state assembly, expected to be held in April.
Among the MLAs who switched sides, Kamalakhya De Purakayastha represents the Karimganj (North) constituency. He won the seat in the 2021 Assembly elections by defeating BJP candidate Mission Ranjan Das by 8,324 votes. Sashikanta Das is the sitting MLA from the Raha constituency, where he secured victory in 2021 by defeating Bishnu Das of the Asom Gana Parishad by 13,058 votes. Basanta Das, the MLA from Mangaldoi (SC), won his seat by defeating BJP candidate Guru Jyoti Das by a margin of 24,354 votes in the same election.
Alongside the three legislators, former Congress joint secretary Parsha Bob Kalita and former All India Trinamool Congress general secretary Kangkan Nath also joined the BJP.
Political observers note that the three MLAs have been seen as close to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and had openly expressed support for the BJP in recent years. Sashikanta Das, for instance, publicly backed the ruling party’s policies as early as 2021.
The Congress has suffered several setbacks in recent weeks. Apart from Bhupen Kumar Borah’s exit, two other MLAs—Abdul Rashid Mondal and Sherman Ali Ahmed—recently left the party to join the Raijor Dal. Mondal and Ahmed are three-time legislators representing Goalpara (West) and Baghbar constituencies respectively.
Earlier, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had hinted at more Congress leaders joining the BJP in a phased manner. Speaking to reporters in late February, he said that several Congress leaders were scheduled to join the BJP and that preparations had already begun for upcoming political contests, including the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
The continuing defections have dealt a major blow to the Congress in Assam, raising concerns within the party about its organisational strength ahead of the state Assembly elections. With political alignments shifting rapidly, the coming months are expected to witness intensified campaigning and strategic manoeuvring among major parties in the state.
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