Sonowal, Sarma hold separate meets

GUWAHATI: A day after winning the Assam assembly polls and returning to power, the Bharatiya Janata Party which bagged 60 out of 126 assembly seats on Monday held deliberations with party members on formation of the next government.

Besides BJP, its alliance partners Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United Peoples Party Liberal (UPPL) also held meetings with their party leaders in Guwahati. There’s also speculation on whether chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal will get another term or senior minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will get the post.

BJP had not named a CM candidate before the polls.

BJP party leaders said the MLAs are likely to authorise the central leadership to take a call on the chief minister even though Sonowal is said to be a front-runner. A meeting of the winners is likely to be held on Tuesday and a resolution to this effect may be passed, a party leader said.

The AGP and UPPL won 9 and 6 seats respectively. Despite projections of winning more than 100 seats, the alliance’s total slipped from 86 five years ago to 75 this time.

Both Sonowal and Sarma held separate meetings. Several newly elected BJP MLAs met Sarma at his official residence here. BJP’s national vice-president and in-charge for Assam Baijayant Jay Panda and state organising secretary Phani Sarma also met the senior minister. Meanwhile, many BJP MLAs also went to meet Sonowal at the state guest house.