Guwahati: HBS 2.0, what the people call it. Himanta Biswa Sarma is heading back to Dispur — and this time, with the full weight of a fresh electoral mandate behind him. The incumbent Chief Minister was unanimously elected as the leader of both the BJP Legislature Party and the NDA Legislature Party in Assam on May 9, clearing the last formal hurdle before his return to the top post. BJP’s central observer JP Nadda announced it and said 8 resolutions were given by newly elected MLAs to elect Himanta Biswa Sarma as the leader of the BJP Legislature Party and two NDA partners AGP and BJP have also submitted resolutions in favour of Himanta Biswa Sarma. The unanimous backing from alliance legislators left little room for suspense — Sarma’s second innings as the head of the Assam government is now a certainty.
Shortly after the legislature party meeting, Dr Sarma made his way to Raj Bhavan, where he called on Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya and formally staked a claim to form the next government in the state. The Governor’s audience marked the constitutional completion of the process — the people had voted, the party had endorsed, and the Raj Bhavan had received its knock. Sarma thanked PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for their support to Assam in the last 11 years. Development of Assam will be the main focus of the new government, he added.
The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled for May 12, and it promises to be a high-profile affair. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend as the chief guest — an attendance that underscores both the political significance of Assam within the BJP’s northeastern calculus and the personal rapport the Prime Minister shares with one of the party’s most prominent regional faces. Top BJP leaders and 21 BJP and NDA CMs will also attend the high-profile oath taking ceremony to be held in Khanapara veterinary college playground in Guwahati.
For Sarma, who has led Assam through a period of assertive governance since 2021, the new term represents both an endorsement and an expectation. The BJP’s return to power in the state, once again anchored by NDA partners, has set the stage for what the ruling alliance has signalled will be a continuity of development-focused administration — though the specifics of the new cabinet and governance priorities are yet to be formally announced. BJP created history by securing 82 seats, much above the absolute majority mark, and the NDA tally also crossed the 100 seats mark for the first time in the political history of Assam.
