Bharatiya Janata Party leader Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday took oath as Chief Minister of Assam. He will be the 15th chief minister of the northeastern state.
Governor Jagdish Mukhi administered him the oath of office and secrecy.
Ahead of his swearing-in ceremony, Himanta visited Doul Gobinda Temple and Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati. He started his day by offering prayers and sought the blessings of the people of his constituency Jalukbari.
Himanta Biswa was elected unanimously by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Legislature Party, which met in Guwahati on Sunday.
Sarma, 52, who had served key portfolios in the previous Assam government, including finance, health, and education succeeded Sarbananda Sonowal as the Chief Minister.
He got support from the 75 MLAs of the BJP-led alliance.
“Congratulations to Himanta Biswa Sarma 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,” tweeted PM Narendra Modi, congratulating him for taking the position of the chief minister of Assam.
Thanking people of Assam, Sarna on Sunday tweeted, “I would not have been what I am had it not been for your pious faith in me. On this day, I vow to work with & for each one of you with greater passion Assam.”
In another tweet, Sarma thanked prime minister Modi and wrote, “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.”
Sarma is the most influential politician in the northeast and has been involved in politics since his college days. He had an association with Congress for 20 years but left and joined BJP in 2016. In the last five years, Sarma implemented some of the biggest development schemes in Assam. As health and finance minister, he has been leading the state’s efforts in fighting the Covid pandemic.
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The ruling BJP alliance is the first non-Congress government in the state. It won the state assembly elections for a second consecutive term, with BJP securing 60 seats and the ruling alliance has secured 75 seats while its alliance partners AGP got nine seats and UPPL six, out of 126 assembly seats in Assam.