Himanta Biswa Sarma was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Assam, along with 13 members of his cabinet, by Governor Jagdish Mukhi this afternoon. The swearing-in ceremony was attended by BJP National President J P Nadda and many other leaders of the party as well as opposition parties.
Urkhao Gwra Brahma, chief of BJP ally United People's Party Liberal, also took oath in the simple ceremony - amid restrictions in place due to the pandemic - at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra in Guwahati.
Mr Sarma succeeds Sarbananda Sonowal as the 15th Chief Minister of the state.
PM Modi congratulated Mr Sarma and said he was confident "this team will add momentum to the development journey of Assam".
Congratulations to @himantabiswa Ji and the other Ministers who took oath today. I am confident this team will add momentum to the development journey of Assam and fulfil aspirations of the people.
- Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 10, 2021In another tweet, PM Modi thanked Mr Sonowal for his contribution towards Assam's progress and strengthening the party in the state. "My valued colleague @sarbanandsonwal Ji was at the helm of a pro-people and pro-development administration over the last five years. His contribution towards Assam's progress and strengthening the party in the state is immense," PM tweeted.
Himanta Sarma's name was proposed by Mr Sonowal at a party meeting held in Guwahati yesterday after Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave his approval for his elevation. It was seconded by the MLAs. Mr Sarma, 52, later met Governor Jagdish Mukhi to stake claim to form government.
Earlier in the day, Mr Sonowal had submitted his resignation to the Governor.
The BJP won a second straight term in the recently concluded assembly polls in the state. The party won 60 seats in the 126-member Assam assembly while its alliance partners AGP got nine seats and UPPL six seats.
AdvertisementIn the 2016 Assembly polls, the BJP had projected Mr Sonowal as its chief ministerial candidate and won, forming its first government in the northeast. This time, the party had maintained that it would decide who would be the next chief minister after the elections.
