Assam Assembly election 2021, Atul Bora profile: Former AASU chief is credited with breathing new life into AGP

In 2016, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) chief Atul Bora created history by becoming the first non-Congress candidate to win the constituency of Bokakhat. Bora, a former AASU president, is currently the agriculture minister in the Sarbananda Sonowal cabinet. He will be one to watch in the upcoming polls. Political career As a student, Bora participated in the Assam movement. Before becoming the AASU chief, he served as the organisation’s organising and general secretary. Bora also served as the founder-chairman of the North-East Students’ Co-ordination Committee. Bora practised law for a few years before joining the AGP in 1995 where he served in various posts such as district president, joint secretary and general secretary of the central committee. He  won his first election as an MLA in 1996 from Golaghat. He was elected as the AGP working president in 2011 and later elevated to party chief in 2014. Charged with breathing new life into the AGP after the party’s consistent failures at the hustings, he was one of the architects of the alliance with the BJP. In 2016, Bora was inducted into the Cabinet of Sarbananda Sonowal. In 2019, the AGP, facing flak over the Citizenship Amendment Act, had pulled out of the BJP-led coalition government, saying its “last-ditch attempt to convince” the Centre to withdraw the Act failed. Bora, after meeting Rajnath Singh, had said, “We tried to convince the Centre that the bill was against the Assam Accord and will nullify the ongoing updating of the National Register of Citizens… But Singh told us clearly that it will be passed in Lok Sabha tomorrow. After this, there is no question of remaining in the alliance.” However, there was yet another twist in the tale as the AGP returned to the BJP fold by March. Bora, defending the move had said,  “We are now convinced that no new foreigner will come to Assam. Also, people want the AGP to be in the government for development.” Personal history Bora was born on 7 April 1960 to Mehuram and Punya Probha Bora in Assam’s Golghat district. He has a post-graduate in Political Science and holds an LLB degree. He is married to Bulbuli Baruah with whom he has one daughter. He counts physical exercise and working in the paddy fields among his favourite pastimes and special interests. The state of Assam will vote to elect a new Assembly in  three phases  on 27 March, 1 April and 6 April. Bokakhat goes to polls on 27 March.