BJP legislature party to decide Assam CM on Sunday, a week after winning elections

Sarma has proved himself to be an efficient poll strategist and crisis manager since 2015

The stalemate over who would become next Assam CM, Sarbananda Sonowal or senior leader Himanta Biswa Sarma could not be solved even on Saturday, six days after BJP and its allies won the mandate to form their government for the second consecutive term.

Both Sonowal and Sarma were summoned to New Delhi on Saturday and the party chief J P Nadda held meetings with both, first seperately and then together. Following the meeting, Sarma told reporters that the legislature party meeting on Sunday in Guwahati would take the decision.

The show of strength between Sonowal and Sarma will take place at a time the state is struggling with a spike in Covid-19. The state on Friday reported 5,626 new positive cases, which is its highest single day spike since the pandemic struck last year. The state saw 47 deaths on Friday.

Read | Assam BJP leaders Sarma, Sonowal meet party chief J P Nadda, Amit Shah in Delhi

BJP and its allies won 75 out of 126 Assembly seats in Assam but the party remained undecided on the CM mainly due to the tusele over Sonowal and Sarma camp.

Seveal MLAs belonging to both the camps met their leaders separately since the results on May 2, making it tough for the party to decide the next CM. This also raised speculation about dissidence in the party in whatever decision is taken.

Himanta, 52 quit Congress in 2015 and joined BJP after leading dissidence against former CM Tarun Gogoi reportedly after the party rejected his wish to be the next CM.

Sarma and some of his loyalist MLAs switched over to BJP in August 2016 but the saffron party had already named Sonowal as their CM candidate.

The 59-year-old Sonowal, who belongs to Sonowal Kachari, an indigenous community has been the party's face on its poll plank since 2014 Lok Sabha polls to protect identity of the indigenous people in Assam. BJP formed its first government in Assam in 2016 mainly due to its promise to protect Assamese identity against the perceived threat from foreigners.

Sources said the party did not have strong ground to remove Sonowal given his "clean image" and performance in the past five years.

Sarma, on the other hand, proved himself to be an efficient poll strategist and crisis manager since 2015, not only in Assam but also in rest of the Northeast as well. Sources said Sarma enjoys the upper hand in the legislature party given the fact that most of the MLAs, who got elected this time either are his loyalists or are "indebted" for helping them to win the elections.