Congress scores as senior AGP, BJP faces join party ahead of 2026 Assembly polls

New Delhi, Sept 9: Ahead of the next year’s Assembly election in Assam, three prominent leaders and AGP-BJP MLAs from the State yesterday formally joined the Congress in New Delhi.

The trio including former Sipajhar MLA Binanda Saikia, senior AGP leader and former MLA from Kamalpur constituency Satyabrat Kalita and four-time MLA Dr Mansing Rongpi joined the Congress at its headquarters in presence of AICC general secretary KC Venugopal, Jitendra Singh and APCC president Gaurav Gogoi.

Terming their joining as very significant for the Congress in Assam, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi said that the joining of the trio has proved that the supporters of BJP and AGP have lost their faith in the incumbent State government.

“The State government in Assam is not a government for its people, its farmers and the poor. The supporters and workers of AGP and BJP in Assam have understood that the State government has turned to be a private firm of Himanta Biswa Sarma,” said Gogoi.

According to Gogoi, the joining of the three leaders will strengthen the Congress in Assam ahead of the Assembly election scheduled to be held early next year.

Mahila Congress president Mira Barthakur, Congress MPs from Assam Pradyut Bordoloi and Rakibul Hussain were present during the joining programme.

Immediately after joining the Congress, all the three leaders vouched to defeat the BJP in the coming Assembly election.

Binanda Saikia who resigned from the BJP on September 3 alleged large-scale corruption in Assam under the Jal Jeevan Mission.

Criticizing the BJP for fueling communal tensions, Saikia said that he gained nothing despite frequent meetings with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

Saikia further accused the State BJP of betraying its nationalist principles.

Senior AGP leader and former general secretary Satyabrat Kalita said that AGP had become a mere ‘branch of the BJP’, with no internal democracy existing at all.

Citing the Centre’s recent decision to extend the cut-off date for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2025 to December 31, 2024, Kalita accused AGP president Atul Bora of failing to defend the Assam Accord.

Four-time MLA from Karbi Anglong Dr Mansing Rongpi criticized the present BJP leadership for neglecting its national ideology.

“Old BJP no longer exists. The party had been taken over by new entrants who have sidelined the senior leaders. There is no respect for long-time members like us,” Rongpi said.

AICC in-charge for Assam Jitendra Singh said that the joining of Binanda Saikia, Satyabrat Kalita and Dr Mansing Rongpi with Assam Congress will bolster the party ahead of the Assembly election.