Guwahati (Assam) [India], November 5 : Former Union Minister and four-time MP Rajen Gohain, who recently quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on Wednesday joined regional party Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) in Guwahati along with his supporters.
AJP President Lurinjyoti Gogoi and other party leaders were present on the occasion.
Senior leader Rajen Gohain's exit is a huge blow to the BJP in Assam, which is gearing up for the Assembly elections likely to be held next year.
Sharing a picture from the event, Jatiya Yuva Shakti, the youth wing of the AJP, wrote, "A memorable moment of former BJP state president, minister and four-time MP, Rajen Gohain, joining the AJP."
Earlier, Rajen Gohain resigned from the BJP and told ANI, "Today I resigned from the primary membership of the BJP party."
Gohain was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1999. He became the Union Minister of State (MoS) for the Ministry of Railways under the Narendra Modi-led government in the Centre.
He was a prominent leader in the BJP and has held the post of the State President of the party in Assam.
In August 2023, expressing his dissatisfaction with the delimitation of the Nagaon Parliamentary constituency, Rajen Gohain resigned from his post as Chairman of Assam Food and Civil Supplies Corporation Limited.
Gohain had been representing the Nagaon constituency of Central Assam since 1999 and secured four consecutive terms until 2014.
Speaking to ANI, he said, "After the delimitation, the Nagaon Parliamentary constituency has now become a minority-dominated seat."
He also raised questions about the leadership of the state BJP and the state government regarding the protection of the indigenous people of Assam.
Meanwhile, the ruling BJP is gearing up for the Assembly elections under the leadership of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The polls are likely to be held in 2026; however, the Election Commission has yet to announce the dates.