Guwahati/New Delhi: Senior Congress leader and former president of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC), Bhupen Kumar Borah, has formally resigned from the Indian National Congress ahead of the upcoming 2026 Assam Assembly elections.
Borah sent his resignation letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, stating that he had been “ignored” by the party leadership and alleging high-handedness and favouritism on the part of Gaurav Gogoi, the current Assam Congress chief and Lok Sabha MP.
Speaking to reporters, Borah said he submitted his resignation to the party high command around 8 am on Monday and outlined the reasons in detail. He emphasised that his decision was not sudden and came after serious reflection, citing concerns about the party’s organisational functioning and his own self-respect after a long career in the Congress.
“I don’t deem it necessary to speak on why I resigned. I have certainly resigned and sent my resignation to the high command…Whenever I think it necessary, I will call you and speak in detail…Akhil Gogoi has told me that his doors are open for me. Lurin Gogoi also called me up. CM has not called me up…CPI(M) has also called me up. Congress high command also called me up. But this is not a big deal. You know a little about why I resigned; everyone knows it. All of this started from Behali…I have told the PCC chief that if the Congress party can’t even decide on who they want with them in Majuli yatra, then we need to look at the future of the party,” he said.
A two-time legislator from the Bihpuria constituency and president of the Assam Congress from 2021 until his replacement by Gaurav Gogoi in 2024, Borah has been associated with the Congress for over 32 years.
The resignation is seen as a significant setback for the party in the region at a politically sensitive time, coming just ahead of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s scheduled visit to Assam and the election campaign. Borah’s departure also follows recent efforts within the state unit to build an opposition alliance ahead of the polls.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma responded to Borah’s resignation by describing it as a “symbolic message” about internal dissatisfaction within the Congress and suggesting that more leaders might quit the party in the coming days. Sarma also said the doors of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were open to Borah should he choose to join, though Borah has not publicly confirmed any such move.
