BJP Legislature Party Meets to Elect Leader for Third Term in Assam

The meeting of the newly-elected BJP MLAs is being held at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Bhawan in Guwahati. Following the BJP Legislature Party meeting, a joint meeting of NDA legislators is also scheduled to take place to formally elect the leader of the ruling alliance in the state.

Preparations are simultaneously underway for the swearing-in ceremony of the new NDA government, scheduled for May 12. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are expected to attend the event, along with several Union Ministers and Chief Ministers from BJP-ruled states.

Assam BJP president Dilip Saikia said the party would formally stake a claim to form the government before Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya later in the day.

"We will elect the leader of the BJP Legislature Party today... After this, a meeting with the NDA legislators would be held. Later in the day, we will meet the Governor and stake a claim for the government," Saikia said.

He further said that preparations for the oath-taking ceremony were progressing rapidly and that the alliance leadership would participate in the event in large numbers.

"The preparations for the swearing-in ceremony are in full swing. The Chief Minister will take an oath. PM Modi, HM Amit Shah and BJP National President, along with top leaders of the NDA, will be present," he added.

Outgoing Minister Bimal Bora said the electoral outcome reflected growing support for the BJP not only in Assam but across the country.

"Not only Bengal and Assam, but the entire nation needs a BJP government. People have expressed hope as they are fed up with the misgovernance of the Congress party. Assam's public has been showing this for the past several years, and now the people of Bengal have also chosen the BJP government," Bora told reporters.

Highlighting the NDA's strong performance in Assam, he added, "In Assam, out of 126 seats, we have won 102. This is an absolute majority."

BJP MLA-elect Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha also voiced support for incumbent Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma continuing in office for another term.

"People want Himanta Biswa Sarma to become the Chief Minister for another term. People not only here in Assam, but also the entire nation, want him to become the Chief Minister of the state," Purkayastha told IANS.

Purkayastha, who had earlier been associated with the Congress party, also criticised his former party while speaking about the political transition in the state.

"I was with them, and I have seen their agenda... If Hindus have a problem, that will not be solved. They were trying to ruin everything with their so-called idea of secularism... It is my privilege to be here today and to see Himanta Biswa Sarma take oath as the Chief Minister," he said.

Rajya Sabha MP Jogen Mohan described the occasion as an important moment for the state and expressed confidence about the formation of the new government.

"This is a very joyous occasion for Assam. Our NDA Legislature Party leader will be selected today," he told IANS.

The NDA alliance secured a commanding majority in the Assam Assembly elections, clearing the path for the BJP-led coalition to return to power in the northeastern state for a third straight term.

- IANS