3 CONG MLAs Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha, Sashikanta Das, Basanta Das join BJP
Just a few months a head of the Assembly polls, three Congress MLAs – Kamalakhya De Purakayastha, Sashikanta Das and Basanta Das – on Thursday joined the ruling BJP in Assam, along with two others. All of them were inducted into the party by state BJP president Dilip Saikia in the presence of Union minister Pabitra Margherita at a function. The development comes close on the heels of former Assam Congress president Bhupen Borah joining the saffron party. Elections to the 126-member Assam assembly are likely to be held in April.
Purakayastha represents Karimganj (North), while Sashikanta and Basanta are sitting MLAs from the Raha and Mangaldoi (SC) constituencies, respectively. The two others who joined the BJP are former Congress joint secretary Parsha Bob Kalita and former Trinamool Congress general secretary Kangkan Nath.
The three MLAs, reported to be close to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, had openly supported the BJP for the past few years, with Sasikanta Das announcing his support to the ruling party’s policies in 2021.
Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha
Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha won the Karimganj North Assembly constituency by defeating BJP candidate Mission Ranjan Das by 8,324 votes in the 2021 Assam Assembly Elections.
Sashi Kanta Das
Sashi Kanta Das won the Raha Assembly constituency by defeating Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) candidate Bishnu Das by 13,058 votes in the 2021 Assam Assembly Elections.
Basanta Das
Basanta Das won the Mangaldoi Assembly constituency by defeating BJP candidate Guru Jyoti Das by 24,354 votes in the 2021 Assam Assembly Elections.
The Congress had suffered a jolt, with Borah joining the BJP on February 22, while two other MLAs Abdul Rashid Mondal and Sherman Ali Ahmed switching over to the Raijor Dal last month. Both Mondal and Ahmed are three-time legislators from Goalpara (West) and Baghbar, respectively.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier indicated that several Congress leaders would join the BJP as per a schedule. Speaking to reporters in late February, CM Sarma noted that several Congress leaders are in line to join the BJP. “I have a schedule in which Congress leaders will join us, and they will comply with the schedule. It is important for them to join before the 2029 General Elections. For me, all elections are important. BJP has already started preparing for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections,” Sarma had said.
In February, former Assam Congress chief Bhupen Kumar Borah also joined the BJP, ending his three-decade-old ties with the party, dealing a big blow to the Congress ahead of the elections. He pointed out that the situation in the Assam Congress is “alarming”.
