Himanta submits resignation to Governor as Assam CM; PM likely to attend oath-taking ceremony

ASsam chief government minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on midweek submitted his surrender to regulator Lakshman Prasad Acharya paving material the way for the formation of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s government in the state.He was accompanied by the education minister in the present government, Ranoj Pegu, who won from Dhemaji and Lakhimpur MLA, Manab Deka.“I submitted my resignation to the Governor and requested for the dissolution of the present assembly. He accepted my requests and asked me to continue as head of the caretaker government till swearing in of the new government takes place,” he told journalists.Also Read: 18 out of 19 MLAs who won on the Congress ticket in Assam are Muslims“The newly elected MLAs of BJP will soon meet to select a leader of the legislature party. Once that is done, the BJP and our allies, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF) will again meet the Governor to stake claim to form the government,” he added.While there’s no official confirmation on when the oath taking ceremony of the new government would take place, BJP office bearers indicated that it might happen either on May 12 after swearing in of the first BJP government in West Bengal on Saturday.Also Read: Oppn candidate’s mother complains to NCW about Himanta’s comments over beef“Since this was a historic win for the BJP and our allies, we want Prime Minister Narendra Modiji to attend the oath taking ceremony of the new government. But we have been informed that the PM will be occupied till May 11, therefore the event will take place only after that date,” said Sarma.The office bearers also stated that the ceremony will be held at Khanapara in Guwahati and several BJP leaders including PM Modi and chief ministers of BJP-ruled states in the northeast are expected to attend.On Monday, BJP had secured an absolute majority in the 126-member assembly by winning 82 seats while its alliance partners, AGP and BPF bagged ten seats each taking their combined tally to 102 seats.On Tuesday, the BJP had appointed union minister and former national president of the party, JP Nadda, as central observer for election of the new legislature party leader. Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini as the co-observer for the process.Both leaders are expected to reach Guwahati either on Wednesday or Thursday following which a meeting of all newly elected BJP MLAs would be held to select their leader to head the next government.Sarma had assumed the chief minister’s post on May 10, 2021 as the second successive head of the BJP-led government in Assam after completion of a five-year-tenure by his predecessor Sarbananda Sonowal.