Guwahati, Mar 28: Assam Public Health Engineering Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah on Friday launched a scathing attack on Congress state president Bhupen Borah, claiming that he is poised to set a “record of defeats” in the upcoming Panchayat elections. Mallabaruah accused Borah of failing to secure victories for Congress and suggested that the party is facing a prolonged period of electoral losses under his leadership.
“Since Bhupen Borah became the Congress president, the party has suffered defeat after defeat. Borah himself has lost multiple Assembly elections, and now he is set to mark a record for losing polls in the state,” Mallabaruah said during a media briefing in Guwahati.
The Minister further asserted that Congress has lost the trust of the people and predicted a crushing defeat for the party in the upcoming Panchayat elections, which are set to take place in April. “The Congress has completely lost touch with the people of Assam. They will face another defeat in the Panchayat elections. In contrast, the BJP has massive support among voters,” Mallabaruah added.
His comments come after Congress’ poor performance in the November 2023 bypolls. The BJP and its allies, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL), won all five contested Assembly seats—Dholai, Behall, Samaguri, Bongaigaon, and Sidli—while Congress failed to secure any.
Particularly notable was Congress’ loss in Samaguri, once considered a stronghold of the party. Congress candidate Tanzil Hussain, son of senior leader Rakibul Hussain, lost to BJP’s Diplu Ranjan Sarmah. Rakibul Hussain, who had represented Samaguri since 2001, had vacated the seat after his election to the Lok Sabha.
In response to the loss, Rakibul Hussain accused Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of using the state’s administrative machinery to manipulate the election results. “We did not lose in Samaguri. It was CM Sarma who rigged the polls by using the administrative machinery,” Hussain alleged.
Hussain also warned that the BJP’s attempt to woo religious minority voters could backfire, leading to the party’s downfall in the 2026 Assembly elections. “The AGP once faced defeat after it tried to woo Muslim voters while alienating its traditional base. BJP may suffer a similar fate,” he said.
