GUWAHATI, Dec 29 - Former minister and Congress leader Ajanta Neog formally joined the ruling BJP here today.
Neog joined the saffron party at its State head-office at Hengrabari in the presence of Assam BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass and Finance Minister and NEDA convenor Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Lakhipur MLA Rajdeep Goala, who today resigned his membership of the Assam Legislative Assembly, and former three-time MLA from Gauripur constituency Banendra Kumar Mushahary also joined the BJP at the same induction programme.
Neog, four-time MLA from Golaghat constituency, had last week quit the Congress and resigned from the Assembly, following which the Congress party had expelled her.
Goala was expelled from the Congress party in October.
Mushahary was first elected to the Assembly from Gauripur in 1996 as an Independent MLA and he was re-elected in 2001 as a member of the AGP. He had won the 2011 Assembly polls as a candidate of the Bodoland People�s Front (BPF).
Sarma said that the induction of the three leaders will further strengthen the BJP. All BJP members, including the new entrants, will work together to achieve the party�s target of securing 100 seats in the 2021 Assembly polls, he added.
Speaking during the programme, Neog termed the BJP as a party that possesses a �futuristic vision� and said she has joined the BJP �with an open mind and without any preconditions�.
Goala said that he has joined the BJP inspired by the �impressive performance of the Central and State governments headed by the party�.
Mushahary said that he is willing to undertake whatever responsibility the BJP assigns to him.
During interaction with the media after the main programme, Sarma said the State BJP has decided to form a screening committee to check the antecedents of people who want to join the party. �Ranjeet Kumar Dass will form the screening committee that will decide whom to induct and whom not to,� he said.
