GUWAHATI, May 23 - The stage is set for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led alliance government to assume office in the State tomorrow and elaborate arrangements have been made in the Khanapara Veterinary College playground for the swearing-in ceremony of the Chief Minister designate Sarbananda Sonowal and the members of his council of ministers.
BJP sources told The Assam Tribune that the full team of ministers might not be sworn in tomorrow. As per the decision taken till this evening, apart from Sonowal, five members of the BJP and two each from the alliance partners Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland People�s Front (BPF) are likely to be sworn in as ministers tomorrow. However, the final decision in this regard will be taken only tomorrow morning.
As the names of the ministers to be sworn in tomorrow are yet to be formally announced, there have been widespread speculations on the issue. The BJP and its allies did not submit the list to the Raj Bhavan till late evening and BJP sources said that as the ceremony is scheduled for the afternoon, there was enough time to submit the list tomorrow morning for the necessary formalities.
The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled to start at 4 pm and it is to be attended by a host of dignitaries, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, several members of the Union Council of Ministers and others. The ceremony will also be attended by Chief Ministers of the NDA-ruled states, spiritual leaders and senior leaders of the alliance partners.
As the BJP has assumed power in a Northeastern state for the first time, a huge crowd is expected to attend the ceremony and elaborate security arrangements have been made in the venue. Police and Central force personnel from other parts of the State have also been brought into the city to ensure that no untoward incident takes place on the day of the swearing-in ceremony.
The swearing-in ceremony will be followed by a public meeting, which will be addressed by the Prime Minister. However, the Prime Minister will not stay back in the city and he is scheduled to fly back to New Delhi immediately after the function.
It is still not decided whether Modi would be brought to the venue by road or he would be brought by chopper from the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport here. �We have kept both the options open and the final decision will be taken at the last moment,� sources added.
The administration has also booked more than a hundred rooms in the city hotels for the dignitaries. Senior police officials today reviewed the security of not only the ground but also of the hotels.
Meanwhile, Governor PB Acharya by a gazette notification has dissolved the 13th Assam Legislative Assembly.
Special Correspondent adds from New Delhi: The BJP central leadership has reportedly advised Sarbananda Sonowal to initially form a small council of ministers and go for an expansion later date. Party sources in the national capital said that the inexperience of the BJP MLAs in running a ministry was cited as one of the reasons behind the decision to initially go for a smaller Cabinet.
Sonowal himself, who was a Central minister for the last two years, has little experience in running the State administration, sources said, adding, the ministerial team of Assam has been finalised and endorsed by the central leadership and the Prime Minister and RSS were kept in the loop.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister will lead a team of top BJP leaders, including Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Kumar Singh. Top Central ministers, who are scheduled to attend the swearing-in ceremony, include Rajnath Singh, Kiren Rijiju and Dr Jitendra Singh among others.
