Himanta Biswa Sarma unanimously named as Assam chief minister by BJP, NDA allies
Himanta Biswa Sarma was unanimously named as the next chief minister by the newly elected MLAs of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF), on Sunday, paving the way for the formation of the next government after the ruling alliance secured a sweeping mandate in the Assembly elections.
All 82 legislators elected Sarma as the leader of the party’s legislature party at a meeting held at the BJP state headquarters in Guwahati in the presence of Union minister JP Nadda, the central observer overseeing the process, and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, the co-observer.
The eight BJP MLAs who proposed Sarma’s name are Ranjeet Kumar Dass, Ashok Singhal, Rameshwar Teli, Ajanta Neog, Chakradhar Gogoi, Pijush Hazarika, Rajdeep Roy and Biswajit Daimary.
Following the BJP MLAs’ meeting, another meeting was held at the same venue where all 20 MLAs of AGP and BPF also named Sarma as their choice for the CM’s post. AGP president Atul Bora proposed Sarma’s name on behalf of his party, while Rihon Daimary proposed his name on behalf of BPF.
“The process to elect a new legislature party leader is now complete. We received proposals from 8 BJP MLAs and one each from AGP and BPF on Sarma’s name which was seconded by others. Based on that I officially announce his name as the leader of the BJP and NDA allies,” said Nadda after the process.
BJP had won 82 of the 126 seats in the state Assembly, securing an absolute majority on its own, while the two allies had bagged 10 seats each, taking their combined tally to 102 MLAs.
“It’s a proud moment for BJP and our allies as we have been able to form a government in Assam for the third successive term. I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his leadership which led to this day. His participation in the election campaign and his efforts to develop Assam in the past 10-12 years has been blessed by the people of the state. I assure the PM and the people that we will work tirelessly for the next five years to develop Assam,” said Sarma.
“I also thank Union Home Minister Amit Shah, our party’s national president Nitin Nabin, former party chief JP Nadda for their role over the years in boosting the party. I thank Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini for sparing time to be with us and our state president Dilip Saikia and allies AGP and BPF for the support,” he added.
Following the process, Sarma and other leaders of BJP and its allies will proceed to the Lok Bhawan, where they will meet Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya and formally stake claim to form the next government.
The swearing-in ceremony of the new government will take place in Guwahati on May 12, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, several other Union ministers, and CMs and deputy CMs of BJP- and NDA-ruled states will take part.
The ceremony will be held at Khanapara, where preparations are underway to accommodate around 200,000 people. Several eminent industrialists, artists and intellectuals are expected to be part of the event.
Sarma had assumed the chief minister’s post on May 10, 2021, as the second successive head of the BJP-led government in Assam after the completion of a five-year tenure by his predecessor Sarbananda Sonowal.
