Himanta sworn-in for second term
The BJP-led NDA assumed power for the third term on Tuesday when Himanta Biswa Sarma was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Assam for the second time in a row, cementing the saffron party’s dominance in the State. Four MLAs of the BJP and its alliance partners, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF), also took oath as ministers in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya administered the oath of office to Sarma and the four legislators in a 25-minute grand ceremony held at the Veterinary Ground in Khanapara area in Guwahati. Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Sarbananda Sonowal, Pabitra Margherita, CMs and deputy CMs of BJP-ruled States and BJP president Nitin Nabin were present at the swearing-in ceremony.
PM Modi termed it a ‘’great day for Assam’’ and congratulated CM Sarma on taking oath for the second time. On X, the PM posted that Sarma has made a mark as a ‘’wonderful administrator and has done pioneering work for the State. My best wishes to him for the tenure ahead.”
Sarma said that it was an extremely emotional moment for him as he took oath as the CM for the second consecutive term and ‘’with all humility I bow down to the people of Assam’’. He said this would not have been possible without the PM’s guidance, which has been the “biggest motivating factor for our Government’’. It is his ‘’leadership and vision which has guided us in our path of Sewa (service) and Samarpan (dedication)’’, he added.
He further said that the occasion would not have been possible without the ‘mentorship of Amit Shah who has “stood with us like a rock in our path to bring back peace and prosperity to the state and work towards delivering our promises to the people’’.
He also thanked BJP workers across Assam, who toiled hard to achieve this historic victory. The Chief Minister, attired in dhoti and kurta with the traditional gamosa draped around his neck, took oath in Assamese.
The BJP’s Rameshwar Teli and Ajanta Neog, AGP’s Atul Bora, and Charan Boro of BPF also took oath as ministers, representing the tea community, women, the regional community and the indigenous Bodo tribe, respectively. Teli, Bora and Neog took their oath in Assamese while the BPF minister took in Bodo.
Neog, Bora and Boro were members of Sarma’s first cabinet, while Teli, a former Union Minister, returned to state politics. Neog was the Finance Minister, while Bora was in charge of the agriculture department and Boro held the transport department in the outgoing Government.
The NDA won a record 102 seats of the 126-member Assembly, including 82 from the BJP. The BJP allies, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bodoland Peoples’ Front (BPF), bagged 10 seats each.
