Assam Cong MP Pradyut Bordoloi resigns ahead of polls; party leaders claim 'all within family'
Guwahati (PTI): In a jolt to the opposition Congress, Assam's Lok Sabha MP Pradyut Bordoloi on Tuesday resigned from the party, barely 20 days ahead of assembly elections in the state.
Bordoloi has sent his resignation letter to AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, state media department chairman Bedabrata Bora told PTI in Guwahati.
AICC general secretary in-charge of Assam Jitendra Singh and state party chief Gaurav Gogoi, who met the MP in Delhi, claimed that it was a matter of “differences within the family” and “part of an attempt orchestrated by the CM (Himanta Biswa Sarma) through the media to malign Bordoloi politically”.
A former state cabinet minister and two-time MP from Nagaon constituency, Bordoloi's son Prateek is a Congress candidate from Margherita seat for the state polls due on April 9.
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In the one-line resignation letter addressed to Kharge, the MP said, “With an overwhelming sense of sadness today, I hereby tender my resignation from all posts, privileges and the primary membership of the Indian National Congress.”
A copy of the letter is available with PTI.
Bora said state party chief Gaurav Gogoi and AICC general secretary in-charge of Assam Jitendra Singh talked to Bordoloi over the issue at the national capital.
Talking to reporters after the meeting, Singh said, “The Congress blood runs in the veins of Bordoloi. We are members of one family and will remain so.”
He claimed that Bordoloi has no offer to join the BJP that he was aware of and said, “No person will go to the BJP. Bhupen Borah recently went, and now he is running to secure a party ticket. No one even greets or invites to share the dais.”
The AICC leader was referring to former state Congress president Borah quitting in February and joining the ruling saffron party. Singh, who had called on Borah along with top state leaders immediately after his resignation, had made similar claims of the leader not leaving the Congress.
Gogoi, also talking to reporters, said, “I condemn such news (of Bordoloi’s resignation). The chief minister, through the media, has been trying to malign him politically.”
He said that during the meeting with Bordoloi, they discussed after party strategy to reach out to the people for the ensuing polls.
Bordoloi was the chairman of the manifesto committee for the Assembly polls.
A Cotton College (now university) and Jawaharlal Nehru University alumnus, the Nagaon MP has been a four-time MLA from Margherita constituency till 2016, being associated with the state NSUI since his student days.
The Congress has three Lok Sabha MPs from Assam -- state president Gogoi (from Jorhat), Bordoloi and Rakibul Hussain (Dhubri).
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Another senior Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) leader and a close aide of Bordoloi, Nabajyoti Talukdar, also resigned from the party earlier on Tuesday.
A ticket contender from the Guwahati Central seat, Talukdar resigned after another member was named for the seat, a party source said.
Bordoloi had recently sent a letter to Jitendra Singh, stating that he could resign from the party if incumbent Lahorighat MLA Asif Mohammad Nazar was renominated for the Assembly polls.
The MP said in the letter that Nazar's close aide Emdadul Islam was involved in an attack on Bordoloi and other party leaders in April 2025, and was also charge-sheeted by the police in the case.
He also claimed that Gogoi had personally met Islam earlier this year at his residence. Lahorighat comes under the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency.
VIDEO | Delhi: Nabajyoti Talukdar and Pradyut Bordoloi, who recently quit Congress, arrive at Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma’s residence.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 18, 2026
(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/PHNLjuLAZD
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
