Next Assam Chief Minister likely to be named today; Sonowal, Sarma rush to Delhi

The incumbent Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and senior party leader Himanta Biswa Sarma rushed to Delhi on Saturday morning for a meeting with BJP chief JP Nadda, in which the next Assam CM is likely to be decided.

BJP and its allies had won 75 of 126 seats in the results of Assembly elections declared on May 2 but the party could not name the next CM candidate mainly due to the imbroglio over Sonowal and Sarma camp.

Several MLAs belonging to both the camps met their leaders separately since the results, 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.

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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.

"Sarma deserves to be the next CM as he has not only performed well as a minister but also led the party to victory since 2016. He has also proved himself to be an efficient crisis manager for the government and the party as well, not only in Assam but in other states of the Northeast, " a BJP leader said.

Sonowal's loyalists, on the other hand, said the Prime Minister was in favour of him due to his "clean and honest image" and his performance as a union minister between 2014 and 2016 and as CM in the past five years. Sonowal, 59 was a president of All Assam Students' Union before he joined AGP and later switched over to BJP.