Former AIUDF MLA Phanidhar Talukdar joins BJP, Assam CM Himanta welcomes him

According to report, on Wednesday morning Talukdar has submitted his resignation as MLA to Assam Assembly speaker Biswajit Daimary.

The former MLA on Wednesday morning also meet state's BJP leaders including the chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Later, announcing the joining of Talukdar in BJP, CM Sarma in his twitter handle wrote, "The faith of leaders across political spectrum in Hon PM Sri @narendramodi continues to grow. Happy to have met Hon MLA of Bhabanipur Sri Phanidhar Talukdar, who resigned from @AIUDFOfficial & will join @BJP4Assam later today. I welcome him to our Pariwaar".

After Rupjyoti Kurmi and Sushanta Borgohain, Talukdar is the third one who resigned from their respective parties to join BJP.

Phanidhar Talukdar is a first-time MLA from the AIUDF, who won the recently held Assembly elections in Assam from Bhabanipur constituency with 55, 975 votes against Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) candidate Ranjit Deka who received 52,748 votes.

After Talukdar's resignation, the AIUDF's strength in the 126-member House will come down to 15.

At present, the BJP has 60 MLAs, but effectively the number is 59, as Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal is yet to resign from the assembly.

The ruling alliance partners, the AGP has nine and UPPL five MLAs, while the Congress' strength is 27.

By-elections will now take place in six seats – one MLA each of the United People's Party Liberal (UPPL) and Bodoland People's Front (BPF) have died, while two Congress legislators have resigned to join the BJP.