A day after four-time Congress MLA Rupjyoti Kurmi announced his plans to join the BJP, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday appealed to all opposition MLAs in the state to join the ruling party.
“What will they do in the opposition benches for five years? I would rather say they should join us. Since we are working for the welfare of people irrespective of caste, creed and religion, I appeal to them (opposition members) to join us and work together for the public,” the CM said.
While leaving the party on Friday, Kurmi had attacked the Congress leadership, alleging that the organisation has become “very weak” as the leaders “do not listen to the voice of the grassroots workers”.
Another senior Congress leader Juri Sharma Bordoloi, who was the president of the Guwahati city district Congress and former national office-bearer of Mahila Congress, had also resigned from the party on Friday.
Bordoloi claimed that more than 100 supporters have decided to leave the party with her.
There are speculations that a few more Congress leaders, including an MLA, will quit the party and join the BJP in the next few days.
With Kurmi’s resignation, the strength of the Congress in the 126-member Assam assembly has come down to 28. The BJP currently has 60 MLAs, while its allies AGP has nine and UPPL five.