In a significant political development, Rana Goswami, a prominent figure within the Congress ranks in Assam, officially joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday in Guwahati in the presence of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and BJP State president Bhabesh Kalita.
Goswami’s decision to switch sides came after he tendered his resignation from the Congress on February 28, followed by a trip to New Delhi.
In his resignation letter addressed to General Secretary (Organization) of Congress KC Venugopal, Goswami cited his departure from his roles as the working president of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee and as an active member of the Indian National Congress.
Kalita, along with other key BJP leaders, including Assam General Secretary (Organization) GR Ravindra Raju and Assam Co-Incharge Pawan Sharma, convened a high-level meeting with Goswami in New Delhi.
Goswami, a former Member of Parliament from the Jorhat constituency in Assam, brings considerable political clout to his new party affiliation.
In response to Goswami’s resignation, Assam Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia expressed surprise, noting the absence of a stated reason for his departure.
Commenting on the trend of Congress leaders aligning with the BJP ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Saikia pointed to perceived pressures from investigative agencies like the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation. He suggested that some individuals might be seeking personal advantages or seeking refuge from legal troubles by associating with the ruling party at the Centre.