GUWAHATI: More than two months after the Congress’ debacle in state assembly polls, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) on Saturday appointed two-time MLA Bhupen Kumar Bora as president of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) and in a first for the party in the state, named three working presidents to assist him.
A notice from the AICC announced that Borah was appointed with immediate effect, along with three working presidents: Rana Goswami, Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha and Jakir Hussain Sikdar.
Goswami is a former MLA from Jorhat, while Purkayastha represents Karimganj North in Barak Valley, and Sikdar, Sarukhetri in Barpeta district.
Fifty-year-old Borah is a two-time (2006 and 2011) MLA from the Bihpuria constituency and has held the post of secretary, AICC since 2013. He has also served as the parliamentary secretary, home and power, in the Assam government.
Several names including MP Pradyut Bordoloi, MP Gaurav Gogoi, MLA Debabrata Saikia as well as Borah were in the running for the post of the APCC president after Ripun Bora resigned following the party’s defeat in the elections in May.
In his resignation letter, Bora, who was the APCC president since 2016, had said he was extremely disheartened by the inability to combat the “divisive and communal politics” played by the BJP.
Congress spokesperson and media chairperson Bobbeeta Sharma said that “new blood would strengthen the party.” “Borah has held a national post in AICC for many years and has a lot of organisation experience. We are hoping that this will give a boost to the party. We have also introduced working presidents for the first time and they may be in charge of different zones in the state,” said Sharma.
Borah has been involved in politics since his university years in Dibrugarh, later becoming a Youth Congress activist.
He served as the president of Assam Pradesh Youth Congress (APYV) between 1996 and 1998.
Between 2002 and 2010, he served as the general secretary of the APCC.
