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BJP Appoints Local Persona as Chief of Assam After Defeat in Key States

© AFP 2023 / DIPTENDU DUTTAA supporter of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wearing a face cutout of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends a public rally being addressed by him during the ongoing fourth phase of the West Bengal's state legislative assembly elections, at Kawakhali on the outskirts of Siliguri on April 10, 2021.
A supporter of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wearing a face cutout of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends a public rally being addressed by him during the ongoing fourth phase of the West Bengal's state legislative assembly elections, at Kawakhali on the outskirts of Siliguri on April 10, 2021. - Sputnik International, 1920, 10.05.2021
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Elections in the northeastern Indian state of Assam were held in three phases between 27 March and 6 April. The results were announced on 2 May, with the with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) returning to power in the state for a second consecutive term.

BJP stalwart Himanta Biswa Sarma has been named the new chief minister of Assam. According to BJP sources, his name was suggested by the outgoing state chief Sarbananda Sonowal.

Sarma will be sworn in on Monday.

The results of the assembly polls were declared on 2 May, with the BJP-led alliance winning 75 out of 126 seats. The BJP itself carried 60 seats, while its ally party, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), bagged nine seats. Six seats were won by the United People's Party Liberal (UPPL).

Sarma, a renowned name in the state, played a crucial role in laying the groundwork for the BJP in the northeastern part of the country. The politician left the Congress Party in 2015.

The saffron party won its first election in the state in 2016, and Sarma was appointed health minister.

That same year, in another northeastern state, Arunachal Pradesh, Sarma played a key role in toppling the People's Party in the state government and forming a BJP-led coalition there.

In 2017, he helped the BJP form a government in Manipur for the first time. The BJP had won 22 seats versus Congress' 28 in the 60-member house, but he managed to cobble together a coalition.

Soon after his name was finalised, Sarma took to Twitter to thank the people of Assam for their "pious faith" in him.

​The BJP was not as fortunate in other key states, suffering electoral defeat in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. The right-leaning BJP had been expecting to make significant gains in these states. Incidentally, these are also several of the states where the BJP has never formed a government.

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