Attempting to shield Prime Minister Narendra Modi from over exposure during state polls, the BJP on Thursday decided to project Union Sport Minister Sarbananda Sonowal as the chief minister candidate for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections.

The parliamentary board, chaired by president Amit Shah and attended by Modi and other senior leaders, in its meeting decided that Assam Assembly elections will be contested under the leadership of Sarbananda Sonowal.

“The people of Assam know Sarbananda Sonowal as a national hero. The parliamentary board has decided that the party will fight the Assam polls in his leadership...BJP is going to form its government in Assam,” board convenor and Union minister J P Nadda told reporters after the meeting.