In a dramatic reversal hours after announcing his resignation, senior Assam Congress leader Bhupen Kumar Borah has withdrawn his decision following discussions with the party’s national leadership, including Rahul Gandhi, the party’s Assam in-charge Bhanwar Jitendra Singh said on Monday.
Singh confirmed that the Congress president did not accept Borah’s resignation and that the matter was resolved after what he described as a “long discussion”, preventing what could have become a significant political setback for the party in the state.
High command steps in
“I thank Bhupen Borah for taking back his resignation,” Bhanwar Jitendra Singh told reporters. “Senior Congress leader Bhupen Borah is an important member of the Congress family. He had sent his resignation to our party’s national president. Sometimes there are differences of opinion within the Congress family.”
He added that the leadership had intervened promptly. “The Congress president has not accepted his resignation. The party leadership, including Rahul Gandhi, held a long discussion with him. We have resolved this through discussions. He was in Congress for the last 30 years.”
#WATCH Guwahati | Congress in-charge for Assam, Bhanwar Jitendra Singh, says, ” I thank Bhupen Borah for taking back his resignation…Senior Congress leader Bhupen Borah is an important member of the Congress family. He had sent his resignation to our party’s national president.… pic.twitter.com/ycf9ABYllP
— ANI (@ANI) February 16, 2026
Borah had earlier said he quit the party to protect his “self-respect” after serving the organisation for over three decades, citing dissatisfaction with internal functioning and decision-making.
Crisis averted, but questions remain
The party leadership moved quickly, clearly keen to prevent the situation from spiralling at a sensitive time in Assam’s politics. For many in the state, Borah’s resignation had stirred memories of 2015, when Himanta Biswa Sarma walked out of the Congress, a departure that went on to reshape the state’s political balance.
Himanta Biswa Sarma’s departure eventually led to the Congress losing its grip on Assam, while the BJP steadily strengthened its position in the state.
With Bhupen Kumar Borah deciding to stay back, the Congress has, at least for now, managed to prevent a fresh split within its ranks. However, the episode has once again exposed tensions within the Assam unit and highlighted the leadership’s dependence on central mediation to manage internal disputes.
BJP’s narrative disrupted
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had described Borah’s resignation as evidence of a “deepening crisis” within the Congress and had announced plans to meet him on Tuesday.
The withdrawal of the resignation alters that narrative, at least temporarily.