Himanta Biswa Sarma to take oath as 15th CM of Assam today at Kalakshetra

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: State BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma will take oath as the 15th Chief Minister of Assam at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra here on Monday. The BJP Legislature Party (BJPLP) and its allies – AGP and UPPL – chose him as the NDA Leader.

Outgoing Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal proposed the name of Sarbananda Sonowal as the BJPLP Leader. The proposal was seconded by State BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass and MLA Nandita Garlosa. BJP's central observer Narendra Singh Tomar then asked the BJP MLAs if they had any other projected candidate for the post of BJPLP Leader. With no MLA proposing any other name, Tomar declared Himanta Biswa Sarma as the BJPLP Leader.

Immediately after the declaration of Sarma as the BJPLP Leader, Tomar, Sarbananda Sonowal and other leaders greeted Himanta Biswa Sarma with phulam gamosas.

It was followed by a meeting of the three alliance partners – the BJP, AGP and the UPPL – in the presence of the central leaders of the BJP and other leaders. At the meeting, both the AGP and the UPPL submitted their written support to Himanta Biswa Sarma as the NDA Leader.

Tomar said that Himanta Biswa Sarma was unanimously elected as the NDA Leader. "The BJP-led Government in Assam did well in the past five years, and it has to do better in the next five years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi gives much importance to Assam and other States in the Northeast. I hope the BJP-led alliance Government in Assam will strengthen Modi's hand," he said.

The MLAs of the three parties, led by Chief Minister-designate Himanta Biswa Sarma, then rushed to Raj Bhawan, met the Governor and staked claim to form the Government. The Governor accepted Sarma's claim and asked him to form the Government.

The Governor will administer the oath of office to Chief Minister-designate Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Cabinet at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra at noon on Monday.

Earlier in the day, Sarbananda Sonowal submitted his resignation to Governor Prof Jagdish Mukhi along with his Council of Ministers to pave the way for the formation of the new Government. The Governor accepted the resignation and asked him to continue in office till the new government is formed.

Sarbananda Sonowal and Himanta Biswa Sarma shared the same car to the Gopinath Bordoloi Conference Hall of the Assam Assembly for the BJPLP meeting. Besides Tomar, the meeting had other national BJP leaders – general secretary Arun Singh, general secretary (organization) BL Santosh and vice president Vaijayant Jay Panda – as observers.

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