Three MLAs who had been suspended from the Congress in recent years joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in Assam on Thursday, ahead of the Assembly elections in the state.

The legislators – Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha, Basanta Das and Sashi Kanta Das – had been suspended by the Opposition party after declaring support for the BJP-led government in the state, The Indian Express reported. Sashi Kanta Das was suspended in 2021, while Purkayastha and Basanta Das were suspended in 2024.

The three MLAs were inducted into the BJP at the party’s state headquarters in Guwahati in the presence of state president Dilip Saikia and other leaders.

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Assembly elections in Assam are expected to be held in April.

Welcoming the three MLAs into the party fold, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said they had joined the BJP “unconditionally” and not for the purpose of seeking election tickets, PTI reported.

However, he added that “there is no hurdle in seeking [tickets] and it will be given on the basis of their prospects”.

“There is nothing like new or old members,” PTI quoted Sarma as saying. “We are all the same within the party.”

After joining the BJP, Purkayastha said that the move was made in the larger interests of Assam and the country, adding that the three MLAs were keen to work in line with the party’s policies, IANS reported.

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He also criticised the Congress, claiming that its politics of appeasement had weakened the party.

Basanta Das said that his decision was influenced by the development initiatives undertaken in the state under Sarma.

Sashi Kanta Das said that he was impressed by the chief minister’s efforts to unite the people of the state.

The defections came days after former Assam Congress president Bhupen Borah joined the BJP on February 22. Congress MLAs Abdur Rashid Mandal and Sherman Ali Ahmed joined the regional Opposition party Raijor Dal on February 16 and February 17, respectively.

After this, the Congress, which had won 29 seats in the 2021 Assam Assembly elections, is now effectively reduced to 20 MLAs, The Indian Express reported.