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  India   BJP’s first govt in Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal sworn-in as Chief Minister

BJP’s first govt in Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal sworn-in as Chief Minister

AGE CORRESPONDENT WITH AGENCY INPUTS
Published : May 24, 2016, 5:16 pm IST
Updated : May 24, 2016, 5:16 pm IST

The swearing in function was attended by Narendra Modi, CMs of BJP-ruled states and Union Cabinet ministers.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sarbananda Sonowal taking oath as Assam Chief Minister. (Photo: ANI Twitter)
 Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sarbananda Sonowal taking oath as Assam Chief Minister. (Photo: ANI Twitter)

The swearing in function was attended by Narendra Modi, CMs of BJP-ruled states and Union Cabinet ministers.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sarbananda Sonowal was sworn-in as the new chief minister of Assam on Tuesday. He took oath in Assamese language.

The swearing in function in Guwahati's Khanapara field was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chief ministers of BJP-ruled states and Union Cabinet ministers.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal

Read: Assam sees saffron surge, Congress’ Gogoi to hang his boots

Chief Ministers Vasundhara Raje, Parkash Singh Badal, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Chandrababu Naidu, Anandiben Patel, Raman Singh and Raghubir Das attended the ceremony.

LK Advani, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Ram Vilas Paswan, Nitin Gadkari and VK Singh were also in attendance. Former Assam CM Tarun Gogoi was also present.

Read: After Assam, BJP targets Congress-ruled Manipur and Meghalaya

Along with Sonowal, 11 ministers also took oath of office. The entire Guwahati has got a new look as banners and hoardings of NDA leaders have been displayed. Over one lakh people turned out for the event.

Massive security arrangements were made in the entire city. CCTV cameras were also installed everywhere at the venue.

Read: Assam victory 'phenomenal', reflects growing support for BJP: Modi

The BJP created history in Assam on May 19, winning 60 of the 126 assembly seats up for grabs. Its coalition partners - the Asom Gani Parishad and the Bodoland People's Front secured 14 and 12 seats respectively. All three together secured 86 of the 126 assembly seats.

The victory in Assam means the BJP will now play a decisive role in the politics of the north eastern region, where it had been a marginal political force until now. The Congress Party ended up with just 26 seats, feeling the sting of an anti-incumbency wave and popular desire for change.

Read: BJP's new strategist, Harvard pass out Rajat Sethi, who helped lotus bloom in Assam