As the election dates in Assam approach, internal crises within Congress are becoming evident. Bhupen Kumar Bora, the former Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president, sent his resignation to party chief Mallikarjun Kharge at 8 am on Monday, causing political tremors.
However, hours of dramatic developments and intervention by Rahul Gandhi seemed to resolve the issue, with Bora retracting his resignation. Upon taking back his resignation, Bora stated, 'I haven't yet discussed this with my family. I need more time to make a decision.'
Bora, who has served Congress for 32 years, accused the leadership of seriously 'ignoring' him. He served as the Assam Congress Unit's president from 2021 to 2025, succeeded by Gaurav Gogoi. He has been a legislator in Assam twice.
Upon resigning, Bora made it clear that he was not upset with any individual but was concerned about the party's future and his role in the state unit. Bora stated, 'I am not quitting politics, but felt it necessary to resign due to the neglect I experienced.'
Read More: Bhupen Bora retracts resignation within hours, why the change? Offered by BJP
Turbulence Spreads from Delhi to Guwahati
Bhupen Bora's decision alarmed the Congress high command. Rahul Gandhi quickly spoke to Bora for about 15 minutes on the phone. Additionally, K.C. Venugopal and Assam in-charge Jitendra Singh also attempted to pacify him. Current state president Gaurav Gogoi, apologizing like a younger brother, said, 'Bhupen Da is a true Congressman. If anything in the party hurt him, I apologize as a younger brother.'
Amidst this conflict, Assam's Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that he'd meet Bora at his residence on February 17. This situation is extremely delicate for Congress as Akhil Gogoi's Raijor Dal is also in contact with Bora.
Who is Bhupen Kumar Bora?
Bhupen Kumar Bora is counted among the influential leaders of Assam Congress. He served as Assam Congress president from 2021 to 2025 and was an MLA from the Bihpuria constituency from 2006 to 2016. In both 2016 and 2021, he lost this seat to the BJP. In 2016, BJP's Debanand Hazarika defeated him by about 26,000 votes, while in 2021, BJP's Amya Kumar won by around 10,000 votes.
Hailing from Lakhimpur in Assam, Bhupen has been active in politics since his student days and has served as the vice president of the North Lakhimpur College student union. Later, he took charge as the president of the state's Youth Congress. Throughout his term, he remained in the limelight. In 2025, the Congress high command displaced him, appointing Gaurav Gogoi as the state president.
