NEW DELHI: Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday took oath as Assam chief minister for a second consecutive term, strengthening the BJP-led NDA’s hold over the northeastern state after its sweeping victory in the assembly elections.At 57, Sarma became the first non-Congress leader in Assam to return as chief minister for a second straight term. Lakshman Prasad Acharya administered the oath of office and secrecy to Sarma and four other legislators at a grand ceremony held at the Veterinary College Field in Khanapara, Guwahati.

What his cabinet looks like

The four legislators sworn in alongside Himanta Biswa Sarma were BJP leaders Ajanta Neog and Rameshwar Teli, along with Atul Bora of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Charan Boro of the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF).

Ajanta Neog

Ajanta Neog retained the Golaghat assembly seat for a sixth consecutive term, defeating Congress candidate Bitupan Saikia by 43,759 votes. She secured 1,02,212 votes against Saikia’s 58,453. Neog is Assam’s first woman finance minister and the longest-serving woman MLA in the state, representing Golaghat since 2001. She was earlier a minister in former chief minister Tarun Gogoi’s Congress government before joining the BJP in 2020. She became finance minister in Sarma’s cabinet in 2021.

Atul Bora

Atul Bora retained the Bokakhat constituency for a third straight term, defeating Raijor Dal candidate Hari Prasad Saikia by 60,537 votes. Bora polled 80,987 votes, while Saikia received 20,450. A former AASU leader during the anti-foreigners’ agitation, Bora earlier represented Golaghat from 1996 to 2016 before shifting to Bokakhat. He has served as a minister in both the

Charan Boro

Rameshwar Teli

PM Modi, top NDA leaders attend ceremony

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Guwahati on Monday night ahead of the swearing-in ceremony and attended the event along with several senior BJP and NDA leaders. PM Modi was received at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport by Sarma and other BJP leaders.Union home minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh and BJP national president Nitin Nabin were among the senior leaders present.Several Union ministers, including Sarbananda Sonowal, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Chirag Paswan also attended the ceremony.Chief ministers and deputy chief ministers from BJP-ruled states, top industrialists, Satradhikars and party workers were also present at the event. Officials said more than one lakh people attended the ceremony.The BJP-led NDA secured a massive mandate in the Assam Assembly elections, winning 102 seats in the 126-member House. The BJP alone won 82 seats, while alliance partners AGP and BPF secured 10 seats each.This will be the third consecutive NDA government in Assam since the alliance first came to power in 2016 under the leadership of Sarbananda Sonowal.