Himanta Biswa Sarma Likely To Be New Assam Chief Minister

In the recently concluded Assam Assembly Polls, BJP led alliance won 75 out of 126 seats. The saffron party alone bagged 60 seats while Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) won 9 seats. The United People's Party Liberal (UPPL) won six seats.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Bharatiya Janata Party President JP Nadda conducted crucial meetings with Sarbananda Sonowal and Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday. 

In the first two rounds of meetings, BJP leaders met Sonowal and Sarma separately whereas in the third round of meeting, they met both the leaders together.  

Ranjeet Kumar Dass said, "The chief minister's name will be announced in the meeting. Four senior leaders of the party - BL Santosh, Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar, BJP national general secretary Arun Singh, party's state in-charge Baijayant Jay Panda - will attend the meeting. We have a single agenda to select the leader of the BJP legislature party."

According to reports, Sarma is likely to become the Chief Minister of Assam. He joined BJP in 2015 and proved himself as one of the most effective leaders.  

Sarbananda Sonowal belongs to Assam’s indigenous Sonowal-Kachari tribe while Biswa Sarma, the convenor of the North East Democratic Alliance, is also one of the contenders for the top post in Assam government.

In 2016 Assembly polls, the BJP had projected Sonowal as its Chief Ministerial candidate and won. But in this polls, the saffron party didn't announce its chief ministerial candidate.