GUWAHATI: Former cabinet minister for health and finance in the outgoing Sarbananda Sonowal government, Himanta Biswa Sarma was today sworn-in as the 15th Chief Minister of Assam along with 13 other legislators by Governor Jagadish Mukhi at the Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra here in Guwahati. 

Sarma is also the convenor of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which includes parties like Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), Bodoland People's Front, Naga People's Front, Sikkim Democratic Front and People's Party of Arunachal.

Among the other MLAs sworn-in, 10 are from the BJP, including state party president Ranjeet Kumar Dass and ministers of the outgoing government Chandra Mohan Patowary, Parimal Suklabaidya, Jogesh Mohan and Sanjay Kishan and new faces like Ranoj Pegu, Bimal Borah and the only woman in the cabinet, Ajanta Neog.

Alliance partner AGP's Atul Bora and Keshab Mahanta, both ministers in the erstwhile government, and former Rajya Sabha MP U G Brahma of the UPPL, also took the oath of office.

The swearing-in of Sarma comes days after the results of the assembly elections were declared amidst speculations and although not in the open, within the state there was a palpable tension of choice between Sonowal and Sarma who has risen in prominence in state BJP since he joined in 2014.

While Sonowal led his party's NDA alliance to retain power winning 60 seats out of the 126 Constituencies that went to polls with a vote share of 33.21 per cent, Sarma was a strong contender for the top post as he was considered more proactive than his boss. 

Before joining BJP, Sarma was an MLA from Indian National Congress since 2001, serving three terms as an MLA from Jalukbari. He first won in 2001 and was re-elected in 2006 and 2011. He quit the congress in 2015 after being ignored by the party high command.

Several leaders were present at the ceremony amid strict COVID-19 protocols which include BJP president J P Nadda, outgoing CM Sarbananda Sonowal, Union ministers Jitendra Singh and Ramesh Teli, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphu Rio and Assam Congress chief Ripun Bora.