Himanta Biswa Sarma is the Right Chief Minister Candidate for Assam!

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  • As the recently concluded state assembly elections make way for the people representatives to choose their legislature party leader, clamoring for the most coveted chair was restricted to only Assam and some extent, the union territory of Puducherry. As you are aware, the other three states had no difficulty in choosing the incumbents Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal, Pinarayi Vijayan in Kerala, and the newly anointed MK Stalin in Tamil Nadu, respectively. Most interestingly, an intriguing play of one-upmanship was naturally expected in Assam where the incumbent National Democratic Alliance led BJP retained power but who would don the mantle of Chief Minister was always expected to generate quite an interest.

PC:  PUJA

  • The CM in the saddle Sarbananda Sonowal has not done anything wrong during his first stint as he was perceived to possess a clean image and seen to be more committed to party ideologue and Assamese sub-nationalism. On the other hand, the stalwart Himanta Biswa Sarma is credited with expanding the BJP’s footprints in the whole of the North-Eastern frontier by virtue of successfully carrying out the responsibilities of convenor for the North East Democratic Alliance. Of course, Himanta had made no bones about his ambitions to don the role of the Chief Ministership even before the BJP led NDA went into the instant polls. After days of speculation, Himanta has been named as the next CM of Assam and has taken oath as you read this.
  • This decision of the BJP top brass is nothing short of marking a significant change in the state leadership. This follows after both Sarma and Sarbananda Sonowal were called to Delhi and the decision in favor of the former ends the debate that had gripped the state after an impressive performance of the BJP winning 60 seats and the NDA coalition ending up with 75 out of 126 seats. As in any democratic political party, there was a section of BJP who believed Sonowal should continue in the CM’s saddle. However, Sarma’s growing clout on the back of shouldering the tricky role of essaying as the BJP’s main troubleshooter and a sound strategist in the region for the last few years was too obvious to ignore for long.

PC:  RAJEEV BHATTACHARYYA

  • People in the know would appreciate the efforts of Sarma who was in the forefront when Assam was hit by anti-CAA protests and Covid crisis last year by deftly navigating the troubled waters for BJP. The astute leader that he is, Sarma was the brain behind forging a winsome alliance that ensured the NDA returned to power despite facing a spirited challenge from the UPA. Therefore, continuing with Sonowal as the CM would have been risky for the party central leadership to overlook Sarma claims for the CM’s post. Now, it is up to the party leadership to suitably accommodate Sonowal incommensurate with the stature and position he enjoys. Maybe a stint in the Union Cabinet could be well in the offing for the affable Sonowal.

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Krishna MV
Krishna is a Post Graduate with specialization in English Literature and Human Resource Management, respectively. Having served the Indian Air Force with distinction for 16 years, Armed Forces background definitely played a very major role in shaping as to who & what he is right now. Presently, he is employed as The Administrator of a well known educational institute in Bangalore. He is passionate about sharing thoughts by writing articles on the current affairs / topics with insightful dissection and offering counter / alternate views thrown in for good measure. Also, passionate about Cricket, Music – especially vintage Kannada & Hindi film songs, reading – non-fictional & Self-Help Books, and of course, fitness without compromising on the culinary pleasures.