Bharatiya Janata Party leader Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday took oath as the chief minister of Assam for the second term.

He was administered the oath of office by Governor Lakshman Acharya at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders of the National Democratic Alliance.

Four leaders were sworn-in as ministers.

Sarma was sworn-in eight days after the BJP secured its third consecutive term in Assam.

In the state election results announced on May 4, the Hindutva party won 82 seats in the 126-member Assembly. A party or an alliance needs 64 seats in the Assembly to secure a majority.

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The BJP-led NDA won 102 seats with the Bodoland Peoples Front and the Asom Gana Parishad clinching 10 seats each.

The Congress won 19 seats and its ally, the Raijor Dal, two.

Sarma retained his Jalukbari constituency with a margin of more than 89,400 votes against Congress’ Bidisha Neog.

He became the chief minister in 2021, replacing BJP leader Sarbananda Sonowal, when the party retained power in the state for the first time.

The polling was held on April 9 and the voter turnout was a record 85.9%. In the 2021 polls, the state had recorded a turnout of 82%.

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Edited by Nachiket Deuskar


Also read: Behind saffron sweep in Assam: Hindu consolidation, welfare and Himanta