Sonowal, Sarma to meet BJP top brass today on Assam government formation

Assam is yet to begin the government formation exercise five days after election results

Amid a power tussle in Assam, the only state BJP won in this round of assembly polls, the central leadership of the saffron party on Friday called Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to New Delhi.

While both Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal and M K Stalin in Tamil Nadu have been sworn in as Chief Minister after their parties Trinamool Congress and DMK's victories, Assam is yet to begin the government formation exercise five days after the counting day.

Sarma, the convenor of the North East Democratic Alliance, an erstwhile Congress leader, had fallen out of that party over the tussle over CMship issue with the then Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. He later helped the BJP expand its footprint in other north eastern states, after the party's win in Assam in 2016.

Taurn Gogoi died in November last year, creating a vacuum as well as space for the top leadership in the state unit.

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Even as Sonowal, of Assam's indigenous Sonowal-Kachari tribals, was a popular face, much of the credit of his victory in 2016 went to Sarma. But Sonowal was projected as the CM face before the poll and was given the mantle of leadership in the state.

This time around, it became clear that a restive Sarma will not leave his claim to the top post. As the tussle started playing out, the BJP chose to play safe and avoided the announcement of a CM candidate before the polls, an unusual exercise in a state where it had an incumbent Chief Minister.

The BJP high command is in a dilemma over the issue and hence, the Saturday meeting of Sonowal and Sarma with BJP president J P Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP general B L Santhosh, is going to be crucial to decide the leadership issue in the state considered the gateway to North East. Sarma has good equations with leaders of other parties in the NDA and even outside in the NE region.

BJP on its own came out three short of the majority, winning 60 seats in the 126-member Assam assembly while NDA allies AGP and UPPL have won nine and six seats respectively.

The top decision-making body of the party, the BJP Parliamentary Board could also meet to take a call on the issue of CMship in Assam but no schedule has been given.