No Ticket Guarantee for Congress Turncoats, Says Assam CM After BJP Induction

GUWAHATI: Three sitting Congress MLAs — Basanta Das, Shashi Kanta Das and Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha— formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday, but Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma made it clear that their entry into the party does not guarantee them tickets in the upcoming elections. 

CM Sarma explained to reporters after their induction that BJP membership does not guarantee members future election nominations. He explained that the party uses a system which awards tickets based on eligibility and organizational evaluation. “The decision to grant tickets is taken by the Parliamentary Board. We cannot decide that at our level,” he said, adding that the names of the three newly joined MLAs would be forwarded to the party’s panel for consideration. The decision regarding ticket allocation will rest with the Parliamentary Board who will make the final choice. 

The Chief Minister said the three MLAs had supported the BJP for two years and formally joined the party today.

CM Sarma announced that the BJP has completed its agreement with its partners the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bodoland People's Front (BPF). He maintained that the alliance agreement has reached its final stage because all necessary steps have been completed except for the central leadership in Delhi to provide formal approval. He stated that alliance partners exist without any conflicts and AGP will preserve its previous election seat-sharing arrangement.

The BJP has made a strategic choice to limit its seat claims in the BTC area according to CM Sarma who described the political situation in Bodoland Territorial Region. He expressed hope that both BPF and UPPL would reach a common agreement which would prevent them from splitting their electoral support. 

The Chief Minister predicted that the BJP-led alliance would win the upcoming Rajya Sabha election without facing any opposition. Union Ministers Sarbananda Sonowal, Pabitra Margherita and BJP National vice-president Baijayant Panda will join the nomination process although CM Sarma will not attend the nomination filing, as they will be travelling to Assam’s Dhemaji district for Jan Ashirwad Yatra.

CM Sarma reported that several AIUDF MLAs will join the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) within the coming two days which means that state political dynamics will shift before the 2026 Assembly elections. 

The Chief Minister launched his attack against the Indian National Congress by accusing the party of failing to fulfill its commitment to return money that it had received from ticket distribution applicants after it claimed to have spent the funds. He described this behavior as part of the Congress political culture because several people had previously used social media to request their money back. 

CM Sarma explained that the BJP does not oppose any community because he wanted to explain the party's position regarding minority issues. He declared that the BJP opposes three practices which include love jihad and land jihad and polygamy but the party does not target any specific community. He explained that AGP would run candidates in constituencies where its organizational strength exceeds that of the BJP while the stronger party will select candidates for all other districts.

Also Read: Three Sitting MLAs to Join BJP Today; NDA Strategy Meet Signals Poll Push in Assam