Guwahati, February 11, 2019
Retired IAS officer and former additional chief secretary to the Assam government MGVK Bhanu officially joined the Congress on February 11th, 2019.
A party-joining programme was held at the Rajiv Bhawan here on February 11th, 2019. Bhanu was welcomed by Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Ripun Bora and other leaders with a traditional Assamese gamusa. The former IAS officer is considered to be a strong contender on Congress ticket against the Bharatiya Janata Party.

A total of ten candidates including retired senior Assam Police official Biren Gogey also joined the Congress party on February 11th, 2019.
“I came to Assam in the year 1985 and I retired in 2018. I have worked for three decades in Assam. With the blessings of Ma Kamakhya, I can still work for 20 hours a day. All these years, nobody made me feel like an outsider. I am Assamese and I don’t want to go back…I want to work for Assam,” said Bhanu after officially joining the party.
He added, “Joining Congress is like a homecoming for me. In order to work for the development of the country, there is no alternative other than Congress. Rahul Gandhi is a dynamic and sincere leader. I appeal to the people of the state to guide and correct my mistakes. I want to contest from Tezpur and I will soon submit an appeal. Even if I am not given a ticket, I will continue to work for the party, state.”
It may be mentioned that post his retirement from government service, Bhanu had announced in a video that he would join public life.
Did you know?
- MGVK Bhanu, 1985 batch IAS, originally hails from Andhra Pradesh.
- Bhanu was a director in union tourism ministry and then chairman of Tea Board.
- He served as the additional chief secretary to the Panchayat and Rural Development Department, Assam.

- He was also in-charge of the Home Department, Assam.
- He was the principal secretary and then additional chief secretary to former Assam CM Tarun Gogoi.