New govt in Assam to take oath by May 19

“We hope that the new government will take oath before May 19 when the term of the present regime ends,” Gogoi told reporters.“The newly elected MLAs will be coming here and the CLP meet will elect the new leader,” Gogoi, who is expected to be the chief m inister for the third consecutive term, said.

The Congress had won third consecutive mandate in the state by winning 78 seats  in the 126-member assembly. The opposition Asom Gana Parishad could win only 10 seats.On the allegation made by former Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and AIUDF (All India United Democratic Front) president Baduruddin Ajmal that tampering of EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines) had resulted in the unexpected victory for the party, Gogoi said those claims were baseless.

“The EVMs were not kept in my custody but the EC (Election Commission). Let them approach the EC or even the Supreme Court,” he said.The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Bhubaneswar Kalita said the party swept the polls because of developmental work done by the Congress government in the state.