Guwahati, May 9: Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJP's main trouble shooter in North East region, is all set to be the next Chief Minister of Assam.
Dr Sarma will replace Sarbananda Sonowal in the top seat to lead the first ever non-Congress government for a second consecutive term at Dispur. The new government is likely to take oath tomorrow at the Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra here. He was elected as the leader of the BJP legislature party, paving the way for him to be the next chief minister, seven days after the BJP-led alliance had retained power in the State.
The meet was held in the presence of BJP central leaders Narendra Singh Tomar, Arun Singh, among others. The BJP had secured 60 seats, while its ally Asom Gana Parishad had bagged nine and United People's Party Liberal, six seats, totalling 75 in the House of 126 members. Dr Sarma, who held important portfolios like Finance, Health, Education and PWD in the outgoing government, had been at the forefront in the party's election campaign and strategic decisions.
Also the convenor of the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), a conglomeration of political parties of North East region, he had been the party's go-to man for any political crisis in the entire region over the past five years.The 52-year-old legislator from Jalukbari constituency since 2001, Dr Sharma was also an influential minister in the three Congress governments since 2001, before joining BJP ahead of 2016 state polls.
