Himanta Biswa Sarma will take oath as Assam chief minister for a second consecutive term on Tuesday after the BJP-led NDA secured a sweeping victory in the Assembly elections.
Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Sarma and four other MLAs at the Veterinary Field in Khanapara, Guwahati, at 11.40 am. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers and chief ministers of BJP-ruled states are expected to attend the ceremony.
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At 57, Sarma will become the first non-Congress leader in Assam to serve as chief minister for two successive terms.
The four legislators taking oath alongside him are BJP leaders Ajanta Neog and Rameshwar Teli, along with Atul Bora of the Asom Gana Parishad and Charan Boro of the Bodoland People's Front.
Neog, Bora and Boro were part of Sarma’s previous cabinet, handling the finance, agriculture and transport portfolios respectively. Teli, a former Union minister, has returned to state politics.
This will be the NDA’s third straight government in Assam since the alliance first came to power in 2016 under the leadership of now Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal.
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The NDA won 102 seats in the 126-member Assembly, with the BJP alone securing 82 constituencies. Its allies, the AGP and BPF, won 10 seats each.
Officials said over one lakh people, including BJP panchayat presidents and members, are expected to attend the swearing-in ceremony. Security has been tightened across Guwahati, with both state and central police deployed across key areas.
(With inputs from PTI)
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