The stage is set for Himanta Biswa Sarma to take oath as Assam chief minister for a second consecutive term on Tuesday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several top NDA leaders expected to attend the swearing-in ceremony in Guwahati.
The oath-taking ceremony will be held at the Veterinary College Field in Khanapara at 11.40 am, marking the beginning of the BJP-led NDA government’s third straight term in Assam.
Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Sarma and members of the new Council of Ministers.
Among those expected to attend are Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal and BJP national president Nitin Nabin, besides more than 40 NDA chief ministers and deputy chief ministers.
Sarma, who first assumed office in 2021 after replacing Sarbananda Sonowal, will become the first non-Congress leader in Assam’s history to serve two consecutive terms as chief minister.
The BJP-led NDA, comprising the BJP, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland People’s Front (BPF), secured a sweeping mandate in the Assembly elections, winning 102 seats in the 126-member House. The BJP alone won 82 seats, crossing the majority mark on its own for the first time in the state.
A new council of ministers is also expected to be sworn in alongside Sarma, with representation likely from all alliance partners.
The swearing-in ceremony is being planned as a large-scale political and public event, with BJP workers mobilised from all 126 Assembly constituencies. Party leaders said more than one lakh people are expected to attend.
“The choice of Khanapara signals the government’s intent to host a large public gathering alongside the constitutional ceremony,” BJP Assam media relations convenor Dhrubajyoti Maral said.
Officials said three separate stages have been prepared at the venue. The main stage will host the Prime Minister, Union ministers, the Governor and the chief minister-designate, while separate enclosures have been arranged for diplomats, industrialists, Padma awardees, religious heads, MLAs and MPs.
Security arrangements have been intensified ahead of the high-profile event. Multiple police battalions, CAPFs, SPG and NSG teams have been deployed, with traffic diversions planned along GS Road and NH-27.
Chief Secretary Ravi Kota and DGP Harmeet Singh reviewed preparations on Monday, officials said.
Following the ceremony, Sarma is expected to outline the new government’s priorities for its first 100 days, including issues linked to land rights, development and eviction drives.
Ahead of the oath-taking, Sarma reiterated the government’s emphasis on “Jati, Mati, Bheti” and said the NDA government would continue efforts to reclaim encroached land in the state.
Also read: NDA stakes claim to form govt in Assam
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