Speculations rife over Assam CM face as Sonowal & Himanta Sarma meet Nadda, Shah in Delhi

Amid suspense over the next chief minister of Assam, senior BJP leader and state minister Himanta Biswa Sarma met BJP national president JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday. Both Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Health Minister Himanta Sarma were called to New Delhi by the BJP central leadership to discuss the leadership issue of the next government.

Though both leaders from Assam reached Delhi on Saturday morning, Sarma reached Nadda's residence to meet him and BJP general secretary (Organisation) BL Santhosh. They were also joined by Amit Shah. Later that day, Sonawal also reached Nadda's residence to meet the BJP's top brass.

The BJP leadership is facing a tough choice over the appointment of the new Chief Minister of Assam – the only state where the party registered a convincing victory in the recently concluded assembly elections.

Who will be the next Assam CM?

Sonowal, who belongs to Assam's indigenous Sonowal-Kachari tribals, and Sarma, the convenor of the North East Democratic Alliance, both are contenders for the top post of the Assam government. The party has no reason to remove the incumbent Chief Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, whose clean image and good governance over the past term have helped the party regain power in the state.

On the other side is Himanta Biswa Sarma, who had powered the BJP rule in Assam and helped the party make inroads in the Northeast region, in the 2016 elections. An influential leader in the NE, Sarma had left the Congress in 2015 to join the BJP. He was not considered for the post of Chief Minister last time as he was too new to the party. However, over time, Sarma has outdone himself, tightening BJP’s grip over neighbouring states of Arunachal, Manipur, and Tripura in a very short period.

The Assembly elections campaign season in the state of Assam has been marked by speculation of Sonowal possibly getting a role in the Union government and Himanta Biswa taking his place as the Chief Minister, as the saffron party did not name a CM candidate outright.

In the results announced for the 126-member Assam assembly last Sunday, the BJP won 60 seats while its alliance partners AGP got nine seats and UP.