Nine Congress MLAs in Assam joined the BJP on Friday, within two months of one-time Congress strongman and dissident leader Himanta Biswa Sarma joining the saffron party.
The nine legislators joined BJP at a function attended by the party’s national general secretary Ram Madhav, State unit president Sidhartha Bhattacharjee, Mr. Himanta and other party leaders.
The MLAs are Bolin Chetia, Pradan Barua, Pallab Lochan Das, Rajen Borthakur, Pijush Hazarika, Kripanath Mallah, Abu Taher Bepari, Binanda Saikia and Jayanta Mallah Barua.
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The Congress Assam unit executive committee had passed a resolution in October 2014 to expel the nine MLAs for dissidence and anti-party activities after a recommendation of its disciplinary body to the effect.