Assam polls: Congress Labels Bordoloi’s Exit ‘Unfortunate’ As BJP Claims Opposition Base Is Collapsing

18th March 2026

NET Web Desk

Guwahati, March 18: The resignation of Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi from his Lok Sabha seat just weeks before the Assam Assembly elections has triggered sharp political reactions across party lines.

Congress leaders termed the move “unfortunate,” with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra suggesting that differences over ticket allocation may have influenced Bordoloi’s decision. “I think he was upset over ticket allocation and I wish we had a chance to have a conversation. It is unfortunate,” Vadra said inside Parliament.

Congress MP Imran Masood added that the party would attempt to persuade Bordoloi to reconsider. “It is unfortunate that he had won from a seat having a 65 per cent Muslim population. You have won with votes against the BJP. Compromising with the ideology is not the right thing to do. We will try to persuade him,” Masood remarked.

The BJP, however, welcomed the development, framing it as evidence of Congress’s weakening base. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey took a swipe at the opposition, saying, “There is nothing left in the Congress. Gaurav Gogoi could be next.” BJP leaders Dinesh Sharma and Damodar Agarwal echoed similar sentiments, arguing that growing public faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policies was drawing Congress leaders to the ruling party.

Bordoloi, a four-time MLA from Margherita and currently Nagaon MP, resigned from the Congress on Tuesday, sending a one-line letter to AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge. “With an overwhelming sense of sadness today, I hereby tender my resignation from all posts, privileges and the primary membership of the Indian National Congress,” the letter read.

Once chairman of the Congress manifesto committee for the Assembly polls, Bordoloi has been associated with the party since his student days in NSUI. His exit comes amid internal disputes, including his objection to the renomination of Lahorighat MLA Asif Mohammad Nazar, citing past clashes involving Nazar’s aides.

The Assam Assembly elections will be held on April 9, alongside Kerala and Puducherry. Tamil Nadu will vote on April 23, while West Bengal will go to the polls in two phases on April 23 and April 29. Counting of votes across all states is scheduled for May 4, the Election Commission announced.