Sonowal to take oath as Assam CM on Tuesday

Guwahati, May 20: BJP leader Sarbananda Sonowal will on Tuesday take oath as Assam's new chief minister at a function here to be attended also by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah.

He will be administered the oath of office and secrecy along with his council of ministers, the Bharatiya Janata Party said.

The BJP has invited all the chief ministers of states ruled by the BJP and its allies as well as chief ministers of all the northeastern states to the event.

It will be held at the Veterinary College ground at Khanapara area here. Modi is expected to address the meeting.

BJP leader and the party's key strategist in Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, made the announcement after a meeting with most newly elected legislators.

The meeting was also attended by senior BJP leaders like Mahendra Singh and Ram Madhav besides Sonowal and Sarma.

"On Sunday, we (all elected members of BJP) are going to elect Sonowal as the leader of BJP Legislature Party.

"On Monday, we are going to have a meeting with the elected members of our allies, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland People's Front (BPF)," he added.

And on Tuesday, Sonowal will take the oath of office.

The BJP and its allies on Thursday dislodged the Congress, which had been in power in Assam for 15 long years.

The BJP won 60 of the 126 assembly seats. The AGP and BPF secured 14 and 12 seats respectively, taking their total strength to 86.

IANS