GUWAHATI, March 5: The ruling NDA in Assam has received a shot in the arm ahead of the state Legislative Assembly elections, with three sitting Congress MLAs formally inducted into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the party headquarters here on Thursday.
The three legislators, who have been suspended by the Congress – Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha of Karimganj North Assembly constituency, Sashikanta Das of Raha constituency and Basanta Das of Mangaldoi (SC) constituency – joined the BJP at the induction ceremony in the presence of state BJP president Dilip Saikia and senior party leaders.
Speaking to the media after his induction to the ruling party, Purkayastha affirmed his commitment to work for the BJP. Asked about the move, Purkayastha said the decision to join the BJP was triggered by the work done for the development of the state over the years, and the initiatives taken for the betterment of society.
Likewise, the other two MLAs, Sashikanta Das and Basanta Das – also cited similar reasons for joining the BJP, stating that the chief minister had taken tangible steps over the past five years to build a ‘new Assam’ and take the step forward in its development journey.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had on Wednesday informed mediapersons that the three legislators would formally be inducted to the ruling party on Thursday morning.
Notably, former Assam PCC chief and veteran Congress leader Bhupen Kumar Borah had recently joined the BJP after serving the Opposition party for over three decades.
The back-to-back defections from the Opposition party are expected to further consolidate the BJP’s legislative strength in Assam while deepening the internal crisis within the Congress ahead of the state elections scheduled either later this month or in April.
