Assam Congress Leader Himanta Biswa Sarma to Join BJP Soon

Guwahti: Ahead of assembly elections in Assam next year, the BJP managed to poach a prominent Congress leader Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Sarma, who will be joining the BJP, is a former health and education minister in the state. The party working on the deal for a while now.

Sarma, a dissident for some time now has been bargaining with both the Congress and the BJP for the last few months, met BJP chief Amit Shah on Sunday along with state party chief Siddhartha Bhattacharya. After the meeting he confirmed the move. He is likely to join BJP on Tuesday and sources close to him claim that 18 MLAs from Congress will also switch sides with him.

“I, along with Assam BJP president, met BJP national president Amit Shah. We discussed a host of issues including the present political situation, floods etc (in Assam). I expressed my willingness to work under the strong leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and national president Amit Shah and they have accepted it,” Sarma told reporters outside Shah’s residence here after the meeting.