Key strategist Sarma may not contest next Assembly polls
A minister had recently said Sarma had all qualities to be CM; Sonowal may be shifted to centre
Amidst the ongoing speculation of ongoing lobbying for chief ministerial candidate of BJP in Assam for Assembly elections early next year, Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma here on Tuesday said that he was not interested in contesting the next polls.
Mr Sarma who has been the key strategist of the BJP in North-East has made this announcement through his official twitter handle.
Though he was not available for his reaction, Mr Sarma in his social media post said, “As I have already indicated in several public platforms that I am not interested in contesting the next assembly election, my role will be limited to contributing whatever I can for my party and for my state. For Assam’s future we need to have a strong nationalist government.”
There has been speculation in a section of the media that Mr Sarma may be the next chief ministerial candidate of the party and Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal would be accommodated in the Union government.
The speculation had started after Mr Sarma’s staunch supporter and minister of state for health Piyush Hazarika’s remark that Mr Sarma has all the qualities and potential to become the chief minister.
In an obvious reference to this speculation Mr Sarma in his social media post further said, “Few people feel that I am after some post and position. My only ambition is to see a BJP government with 100+ seats. In my last few months, I want to work for my state as much as possible to have eternal satisfaction.”
He quoted a shloka of Sanskrit, Janani Janmabhumishcha
Swargadapi Gariyasi.
It is significant that Mr Sarma recently said that the BJP has not decided whether it will announce a chief ministerial candidate for the Assam elections.
The remarks of Mr Sarma had come after former chief minister Tarun Gogoi claimed that former chief justice of India Ranjan Gogoi may be the chief ministerial candidate of BJP in Assam.
However, the former chief justice has already rejected all these speculations soon after it came into the media.
Accusing that the former chief minister has the habit of naming people out of context and creating unnecessary controversies, Mr Sarma had stated, “The BJP has not even decided whether the party will announce the chief ministerial candidate prior to the Assembly elections.”