Assam: Nine rebel Cong MLAs to join BJP today

Nine Congress MLAs in Assam will formally join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday in presence of several senior leaders.

The BJP is all set to welcome the nine ruling Congress legislators ahead of the next year's assembly election. The MLAs had held talks with senior BJP leader and Union Sports minister Sarbanand Sonowal in Guwahati yesterday, confirming their move.

"Despite the majority being against Tarun Gogoi as Chief Minister, he was elected. A meeting was held later where we were slammed for voicing our opinions against him. We wanted Himanta Biswa Sarma to be elected as CM and 54 MLAs had supported him," Congress MLA Pijush Hazarika, who will be joining BJP today, told ANI.

"We have decided to join BJP so that we can watch Assam develop under the leadership of Narendra Modi ji. We have made our decision for the sake of Assam," he added.

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Among them, 4 legislators -Pradan Baruah, Jayanta Malla Baruah, Piyush Hazarika and Pallab Lochan Das were suspended from Congress for anti-party activities.

All of them are close associates of former Congress minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is now a BJP leader. The Congress will have now 68 MLAs in the 126 member assembly.