How enormously blessed I feel Hon PM Sri @narendramodi for your faith in me. This is the biggest day in my life, and I so fondly cherish your generous affection. I assure you we shall leave no stone unturned to carry forward your vision of taking Assam, & NE to greater heights. pic.twitter.com/fQPKjXjDzR
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) May 9, 2021
Guwahati(Assam), May 9 : Health Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma will be sworn in as the next next Chief Minister of Assam on Monday after being elected unanimously as the leader of the BJP Legislature Party and the the NDA Legislature Party on Sunday.
Ending all speculations on who would occupy the top post as both Sarma and outgoing chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal were contenders, the powerful NEDA convenor was elected as the legislature party leader, a week after the ruling alliance won the assembly elections with a clear majority for the second successive term.
Dr. Sarma will met the Governor Jagadish Mukhi on Sunday evening to stake claim for the formation of the next government.
The swearing in of the new ministry will be held on Monday at the Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra.
Earlier in the morning , Sarma’s name was proposed by the outgoing Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and seconded by BJP state party president and Patacharkuchi MLA Ranjeet Kumar Dass and newly elected Haflong MLA Nandita Garlosa.
As no other name was proposed for the top position , Sarma was elected unanimously as the BJP Legislature Party leader.
The meeting was held amid strict COVID distancing and safety rules at the BJP”s conference hall in the Assam Legislative assembly, in the presence of central observers Tomar and Arun Singh, party”s national general secretary.
A meeting of NDA partners-BJP, AGP and UPPL- was also subsequently held and Sarma was unanimously elected as the leader of the NDA Legislature Party, paving the way for him to become the next Chief Minister of the state.
Earlier , Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal tendered his resignation to Governor Jagadish Mukhi who as is tradition, asked him to continue till the formation of the next government.
Sarma also called on Sonowal before BJP legislature party meet and both of them drove down in the same vehicle for the meeting.
The outgoing Chief Minister presented him with the traditional ”gamosa” and patted him on the back before both of them posed for photographs.
.On Saturday ,the party”s central leadership had summoned Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, both contenders for the top post, to New Delhi on for discussions on the formation of the next government in the state.
The ruling BJP alliance is the first non-Congress government in the state to win the elections for the second consecutive term. Of the 126 assembly seats in Assam, the ruling alliance has secured 75 seats with BJP winning 60 while its alliance partners AGP got nine seats and UPPL six.