Guwahati: Bhupen Borah Targets Congress After Meeting Amit Shah — “32 Years vs 32 Hours, The Difference Is Clear”

Guwahati | February 21, 2026: In a significant political development in Assam, former state Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah launched a sharp attack on the Congress party after meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Borah, who recently resigned from the Congress, shared photographs from his meeting and wrote on social media, “32 years versus 32 hours — the difference is visible.”

Borah met Amit Shah in the presence of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. BJP leader Baijayant Panda was also present during the meeting. Borah is scheduled to formally join the Bharatiya Janata Party on February 22.

A Major Blow to Congress in Assam

Borah served as president of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee from 2021 to 2025. His departure is being viewed as a major setback for the Indian National Congress, especially ahead of upcoming elections in the state.

The Congress had recently appointed Gaurav Gogoi to accelerate organizational efforts in Assam. Senior leaders, including Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar, had also been actively engaged in strengthening the party’s position in the state. However, Borah’s resignation has disrupted the party’s momentum.

Political observers are questioning how the BJP managed to execute such a significant political shift despite Congress deploying senior leadership to the Assam front.

BJP Seeks to Capitalize on Defection

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, reacting to the development, made a pointed remark suggesting that Borah was “the last Hindu leader in Congress,” signaling the BJP’s strategy to leverage the defection politically.

In his social media post, Borah expressed gratitude to Amit Shah for the meeting and to Himanta Biswa Sarma for visiting his residence a day earlier. “The change is clearly visible,” he wrote, reinforcing his critique of his former party.

Earlier, during their visits to Assam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah had also launched sharp attacks on Congress, accusing it of appeasement politics.

Political Impact Ahead of Elections

While the exact electoral impact of Borah’s switch to the BJP will become clear only during the polls, analysts believe the move has dented Congress’s organizational strength in Assam. The BJP, on the other hand, appears keen to consolidate its position further by inducting prominent opposition leaders.

The political battle in Assam is expected to intensify in the coming weeks as both parties recalibrate their strategies ahead of the electoral contest.