GUWAHATI
Two Congress MLAs in Assam have declared their support for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government headed by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
The development is similar to that of five Meghalaya Congress MLAs who issued a letter of support to Conrad K. Sangma’s National People’s Party (NPP)-led coalition government in February 2022. The BJP is a minor constituent of the alliance government.
Congress legislators Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha and Basanta Das, who represent the North Karimganj and Mangaldoi Assembly constituencies, respectively, on Wednesday said they would remain loyal to the grand old party while supporting the government’s positive approach for the “greater good” of the State.
Mr. Purkayastha resigned as the working president of the Pradesh Congress Committee but said he would remain a primary member of the party.
“The pro-people initiatives undertaken by the BJP-led government in Assam deserve appreciation. We are with the government for the sake of development of our constituencies and the State in general,” Mr. Das said.
The development has come a fortnight after former Assam Youth Congress president Angkita Dutta and former Congress MLA Bismita Gogoi joined the BJP. The Congress had suspended the former in 2023 after she accused Youth Congress president Srinivas B.V. of sexual harassment.
The Congress has 23 MLAs in the 126-member Assam Assembly, down from 29 who had won the 2021 State polls.
