Himanta Biswa Sarma was elected as the leader of BJP Legislature Party and NDA Legislature Party on Sunday, thus clearing the decks for his appointment as the Chief Minister of the new government.
BJP’s central observer Jagat Prakash Nadda and co-observer Nayab Singh Saini were present during Sarma’s election.
Briefly speaking after his election, Sarma thanked the people of Assam for electing the BJP-led NDA for the third straight time.
“I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking Assam’s development to a level we could not imagine. The results of the election are a reflection of the development initiatives,” Sarma said.
He assured that Assam’s continuous development would be the main agenda of the NDA which comprises BJP, Asom Gana Parishad and Bodoland People’s Front. He thanked Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the prevailing peace in Assam.
The leaders of the NDA parties will shortly meet Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya at the Lok Bhawan where Sarma will stake a claim to form the new government.
This will be his second straight term as the Chief Minister. The swearing-in ceremony will be held on May 12 in the presence of Modi and Shah among others.
Sarma was first elected to the Assembly in 2001 and he has not lost a single election ever since then. He served as a minister in all three terms of former Congress Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi (2001-16).
Gogoi’s third term was marked by dissidence over the leadership issue. In 2015, Sarma and several other Congress legislators close to him quit the party and joined the BJP. The next year, the BJP had formed its first government in the state.
Called a 24x7 leader, Sarma is a master strategist who is widely known for his political acumen. His strong leadership was at display yet again in this year’s Assam elections in which the NDA bagged 102 of the 126 seats.
