Guwahati, May 10: Leaders of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Sunday met Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya at Lok Bhavan and formally staked claim to form the next government in Assam under the leadership of Chief Minister-elect Himanta Biswa Sarma.
The NDA delegation included BJP national president J. P. Nadda, who was appointed as the party’s central observer, and Nayab Singh Saini, serving as co-observer, along with Sarma and other senior alliance leaders.
Officials said the alliance submitted its formal claim to form the government, with the application carrying the signatures of representatives from all three constituent parties of the NDA in Assam. The alliance comprises the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland People’s Front (BPF).
Earlier in the day, Himanta Biswa Sarma was unanimously elected leader of the BJP-led NDA in the Assam Assembly, clearing the way for his return as chief minister for a second consecutive term. With the development, Sarma is set to become the first non-Congress leader in Assam to serve two successive terms as chief minister.
The NDA registered a sweeping victory in the recently concluded Assembly elections, securing a two-thirds majority in the 126-member Assembly. The BJP won 82 seats, while alliance partners AGP and BPF secured 10 seats each, taking the coalition’s tally to 102 seats.
The swearing-in ceremony of the new Assam government is scheduled to take place in Guwahati on May 12.
