Guwahati, March 25 (IANS): Bharat Chandra Narah, a six-time MLA and former Assam minister who resigned from the Congress on Monday after his wife Ranee Narah was denied a ticket, is not in touch with the BJP, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said.

"The resignation of Bharat Narah is an internal matter of the Congress as he had not approached the BJP before quitting the party. He was not in touch with me or my other colleagues," CM Sarma said.

However, he also asserted that, barring one or two -- the rest of the party leaders from Congress would eventually join the BJP.

The Chief Minister said: "All will come to the BJP and that is why we have never closed our doors. Even Assam unit Congress president Bhupen Borah will also switch sides."

Earlier on Monday, six-time MLA and former Assam minister Bharat Chandra Narah resigned from the party on Monday after his wife Ranee Narah was denied a ticket for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

The Naoboicha MLA sent his resignation letter to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. He wrote: "I do, hereby, resign from the Indian National Congress with immediate effect."

Bharat Chandra Narah also quit from his post of chairman of the Congress' media cell in Assam.

He was elected to the state Assembly six times on a Congress ticket.

He consecutively won Dhakuakhana constituency from 1985 to 2011, and was also a state Cabinet minister.

In 2021, he contested for Naoboicha seat in Lakhimpur district, and was again elected on a Congress ticket.

Ranee Narah was being considered a strong contender for the ticket in Lakhimpur Lok Sabha seat in Assam. She won this Lok Sabha constituency thrice and was once elected to Rajya Sabha as well.

However, the Congress picked Uday Shankar Hazarika instead of Ranee Narah to contest for Lakhimpur seat. He switched from BJP in December last year.