Himanta takes oath as Assam CM for second consecutive term

Guwahati: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) assumed the mantle of power for the third term on Tuesday when Himanta Biswa Sarma was sworn in as the chief minister of Assam for the second time in a row, cementing the saffron party’s dominance in the state.

Four MLAs of the BJP and its alliance partners AGP and BPF also took oath as ministers in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.  Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya administered the oath of office to Sarma and the four legislators at a 25-minute grand ceremony held at the Veterinary Ground in Khanapara area in Guwahati. Besides Modi and Amit Shah, Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Sarbananda Sonowal, Pabitra Margherita, chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of BJP-ruled states and BJP president Nitin Nabin were present at the swearing-in ceremony.

The PM said that the NDA government assuming office for the third consecutive term was a “great day for Assam” and congratulated Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on taking oath for the second time.

In a post on X, the PM said that Sarma has made a mark as a “wonderful administrator and has done pioneering work for the state. My best wishes to him for the tenure ahead”.

Sarma said that it was an extremely emotional moment for him as he took oath as the CM for the second consecutive term and “with all humility, I bow down to the people of Assam”. He said this would not have been possible without the PM’s guidance, which has been the “biggest motivating factor for our government”.

It is his “leadership and vision which has guided us in our path of Sewa (service) and Samarpan (dedication)”, he said.

Sarma also thanked party president Nitin Nabin for his leadership that galvanised all NDA workers in Assam to take the message of good governance to every household.

He further said that the occasion would not have been possible without the mentorship of Amit Shah who has “stood with us like a rock in our path to bring back peace and prosperity to the state and work towards delivering our promises to the people”. He also thanked BJP workers across Assam, who toiled hard to achieve this historic victory.

The chief minister, attired in dhoti and kurta with the traditional ‘gamosa’ draped around his neck, took oath in Assamese.

Bharatiya Janata Party’s Rameshwar Teli and Ajanta Neog, AGP’s Atul Bora, and Charan Boro of BPF also took oath as ministers, representing the tea community, women, the regional community and the indigenous Bodo tribe, respectively.

Teli, Bora and Neog took their oath in Assamese while the BPF minister took in Bodo.

Meanwhile, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday congratulated Sarma and said Assam will continue to progress and achieve all-round development under his leadership.

Sawant participated in Sarma’s swearing-in ceremony. In a message released after the event, Sawant said the sacred land of Srimanta Sankardeva and Veer Lachit Borphukan will continue to march ahead on the path of all-round development, progress and prosperity.

Sawant wished the Assam government a successful tenure in service of the people of Assam.