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  • 5:32 PM IST

    At Sarbananda Sonowal oath taking ceremony, Narendra Modi promises ‘vikaas’ and ‘parivartan’ in Assam. (Read full report)

  • 5:23 PM IST

  • 5:20 PM IST

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks at the oath taking ceremony of Sarbananda Sonowal.

  • 5:14 PM IST

    BJP chief Amit Shah promised the voters of Assam that their mandate would not prove to be a waste. “I promise you that now development would reach the North-Eastern part of India. Those areas which were not touched upon by the incumbent regimes since independence, they would not be developed by this NDA government.”

  • 5:08 PM IST

    Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan praised the efforts taken by Sarbananda Sonowal to convince the electorate of Assam. “I am sure that this government will bring development in the region. Anywhere across the nation, wherever there is NDA government, development has escalated. Now, it is time for Assam and North-East to develop,” Modi said.

  • 5:05 PM IST

  • 5:05 PM IST

    Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu spoke at the swearing-in ceremony. “Assam is rich in all the natural resources. Apart from this, it has excellent hard-working people. I wish this government good luck. This new government will bring new light in the life of people of Assam,” Naidu said.

  • 4:51 PM IST

  • 4:50 PM IST

    Ministers of all BJP-ruled states were present in the swearing-in ceremony. Outgoing CM Tarun Gogoi was also present on the dias. He had been personally invited by Sonowal, who turned up at his residence two days back.

  • 4:48 PM IST

    Six-time MLA from Bodoland People’s Front, ethnic Assamese leader Pramila Rani Bahma was also offered a berth in the state cabinet.

Guwahati, May 24: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sarbananda Sonowal is took oath as the next chief minister of Assam. An ethnic Assamese, hailing from Sonowal Kacharis tribe, he has raised high amount of expectations among the indigenous population of the state. The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with BJP chief Amit Shah. A large gathering of party workers and supporters also assembled in Guwahati to witness the historic moment. (ALSO READ: At Sarbananda Sonowal oath taking ceremony, Narendra Modi promises ‘vikaas’ and ‘parivartan’ in Assam)

Sonowal took oath in the presence of Assam Governor Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya, along with ten other ministers. Among the prominent faces, Congress rebel Himanta Biswa Sarma and AGP chief Atul Bora were also offered a position in Assam cabinet. (ALSO READ: Sarbananda Sonowal takes oath as chief minister: What electorate of Assam expects from the ethnic leader?)

The alliance of BJP with Asom Gana Parishad and Bodoland People’s Front stormed into power with the main poll plank of Bangladeshi infiltration. WIth the Muslim population in the state escalating to 34 per cent, the ethnic Assamese feared that the identity of Assam would be taken over by the Islamic community. The saffron ethnic coalition led by Sonowal not only promised to seal the borders on the east with Bangladesh within two years, but also deport the immigrants who have been staying in the state illegally since 1971.

At Sarbananda Sonowal oath taking ceremony, Narendra Modi promises ‘vikaas’ and ‘parivartan’ in Assam