Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday filed his resignation to Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya, which is a formal step towards formation of a new government in Assam under Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He was escorted by Education Minister Ranoj Pegu, and other MLAs who have won seats in the recent assembly elections.
After the resignation, Sarma affirmed that the Governor had accepted his request and wanted him to remain the caretaker chief minister until the new government is sworn in. He too had ordered the dissolution of the existing Assembly, which opened the way to the next legislative session.
Sarma reported that the newly elected BJP MLAs will shortly meet and elect their leader of their legislative party. The BJP, together with its allies Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF) will then together meet the Governor to formally stake claim to form the government.
Although the official confirmation of the date of the oath-taking ceremony has yet to be officially confirmed, BJP sources have indicated that it will most likely take place after May 11. The leaders of the parties have also stated that they would like Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the swearing-in ceremony, terming it as historic to the alliance.
Nevertheless, the authorities observed that due to the hectic schedule of the Prime Minister, the event could be postponed a bit. It is anticipated that the ceremony will take place at Khanapara, Guwahati, and many of the top BJP leaders and chief ministers of the northeastern states should be present there.
In the recent election, the BJP secured an absolute majority in the 126-member Assembly as the BJP won 82 seats, and its allies AGP and BPF won 10 seats apiece, making the total strength of the coalition 102 seats. The overwhelming majority vote has put in place another government in the state led by the BJP.