Assam Chief Minister Oath Ceremony Set for May 12, Sources Confirm

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Dilip Saikia told ANI that the party's central observers, Union Minister JP Nadda and Co-Observer Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini, will arrive in Guwahati on May 9 (Saturday) to oversee the election of the Leader of the party's Legislative Party in Assam.

"On May 10, the BJP Legislature Party meeting will be held in Guwahati. After that, an NDA meeting will be held where the central observers will be present," Dilip Saikia said.

Earlier in the day, Assam caretaker Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tendered his resignation, paving the way for the formation of a new cabinet following the party's decisive electoral mandate.

Sarma confirmed that BJP National President Nitin Nabin has appointed JP Nadda and Nayab Singh Saini as central observers to supervise the selection of the next Chief Minister of Assam.

Talking to the reporters, Sarma said, "Shri JP Nadda and Nayab Singh Saini have been appointed as Central observers by BJP National President Nitin Nabin. Who will be the next CM and the leader will be decided by the legislative party. Following the legislature party meeting, we will come back to Lok Bhawan again and stake a claim to form a government. There is an indication that oath-taking will be post May 11 because we have invited the Prime Minister to kindly grace the swearing-in ceremony of our government this time. We have invited the PM because we got a hat-trick with a century this time."

This comes after Sarma handed over his formal resignation to Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya following a decisive victory in the Assam poll.

The move marks the end of the current assembly's term, clearing the path for the formation of the third consecutive BJP government in the state.

Speaking to the media outside the Lok Bhavan, Sarma said that the Governor has requested him to take care of the state till the formation of a new government.

"The ECI has officially announced the assembly election result, and the ECI has submitted the notification of the result to the Governor of Assam. I submitted my resignation letter as the Chief Minister of Assam to the Governor and simultaneously, I requested him to dissolve the current Assam assembly. The Governor of Assam has accepted my resignation letter and suggestion of dissolving the current Assam assembly, and he directed me to continue as the caretaker till the formation of a new government. I think that the new government will be formed soon. During this time, we will work as a caretaker government," Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

Meanwhile, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured a strong mandate in the state, winning 102 seats against the opposition's 75 seats. The BJP won 82 seats, while its allies AGP and BOPF secured 10 seats each, taking the NDA's total to 102. While the opposition Mitrajoot of INC secured 19 seats, Raijor Dal secured only 2 seats, while AJP failed to secure even a single seat. Meanwhile, AIUDF managed to get 2 seats.

- ANI