From Congress veteran to BJP candidate in 2 days: Pradyut Bordoloi makes BJP’s list of 88 candidates for Assam polls

The BJP has released its first list of 88 candidates for the upcoming election to the 126-member Assam Legislative Assembly, with the party fielding its expected heavyweights, as well as two prominent leaders who recently switched over from the Congress — Pradyut Bordoloi and Bhupen Borah. They were both fielded in the place of sitting BJP MLAs.

The party’s most prominent faces in the state have been renominated from their respective constituencies.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will be seeking his sixth consecutive term from the Jalukbari constituency. Ministers Ajanta Neog, Pijush Hazarika, Ashok Singhal, Chandra Mohan Patowary, Ranoj Pegu, Jayanta Malla Baruah, as well as Speaker Biswajit Daimary are all in the fray.

However, the Minister of Sports and Youth Welfare as well as of Backward Classes and Minorities Welfare, Nandita Garlosa, has been dropped from her Diphu constituency in favour of Rupali Langthasa, who is currently a member of North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council. Minister of Culture and of Road Transport and Highways, Jogen Mohan, was nominated by the party for the Rajya Sabha last month, and the state party unit’s OBC Morcha general secretary Suruj Dehingia has been fielded from his Mahmora constituency.

Other senior party leaders who feature in the list are RS member Rameshwar Teli, who has been fielded from Duliajan; former Lok Sabha MP Pallab Lochan Das, who will contest in Biswanath; current Chief Executive Member of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council, Tuliram Ronghang, who has been fielded from Rongkhang; and former Lok Sabha MP Rajdeep Roy, who will fight from Silchar.

Significantly, Lok Sabha MP and multiple-term former minister in Tarun Gogoi-led Congress governments in the state, Pradyot Bordoloi, who joined the BJP just a day earlier, has been fielded by the party from the Dispur constituency. Bordoloi had quit the Congress on Tuesday, before joining the BJP on Wednesday. On Thursday, he was fielded in place of senior BJP leader Atul Bora, who has represented the constituency for five terms. He will be competing against Assam Mahila Congress president Mira Borthakur Goswami, who was his party colleague until two days ago.

Bhupen Borah, a former Assam Congress president who quit the party and joined the BJP last month, has been fielded by the party from the Bihpuria constituency in place of its sitting MLA Amiya Kumar Bhuyan, who had defeated Borah, then the Congress’s candidate in the constituency, in the 2021 election.

Two other prominent Congress turncoats feature in the list. Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha, sitting MLA from the Karimganj North constituency who joined the BJP earlier this month, has been fielded from the Katigorah constituency. When he was Assam Congress working president, Purkayastha was suspended from the Congress in 2024, after which he announced his decision to “support” the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led BJP government’s “developmental work” while claiming to remain in the Congress.

Sashi Kanta Das, sitting MLA from Raha, had also joined the BJP with him this month after being suspended by the Congress in 2021 for a similar reason, and has been fielded by the party from his constituency.

The party’s sitting MLA from the Jorhat constituency, Hitendra Nath Goswami, has been re-nominated from the seat, where he will face off against Assam Congress chief and MP Gaurav Gogoi, who will be making his state election debut.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier hinted that the party is likely to contest in 89 seats, leaving the remaining to its regional allies for this election — the Asom Gana Parishad and the Bodoland People’s Front.

Assam goes to the polls on April 9.

Sukrita Baruah is a Principal Correspondent for The Indian Express, based in Guwahati. From this strategic hub, she provides comprehensive, ground-level coverage of India's North East, a region characterized by its complex ethnic diversity, geopolitical significance, and unique developmental challenges. Expertise and Experience Ethnic & Social Dynamics: Deep-dive coverage of regional conflicts (such as the crisis in Manipur) and peace-building efforts. Border & Geopolitics: Tracking developments along India’s international borders and their impact on local communities. Governance & Policy: Reporting on state elections, tribal council decisions, and the implementation of central schemes in the North East. Specialized Education Background: Prior to her current role, Sukrita was a dedicated Education Correspondent for The Indian Express in Delhi. This experience provided her with a sharp analytical lens for: Policy Analysis: Evaluating the National Education Policy (NEP) and university-level reforms. Student Affairs: Covering high-stakes stories regarding campus politics, national entrance exams, and the challenges within the primary and secondary education sectors. ... Read More

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