Assam's Next CM: 3rd Round of Discussions End in New Delhi, Decision Likely on Sunday

Guwahati: The wait just got longer about who will be the next Chief Minister of Assam. The third round of discussions on who will get the state's top job has ended in New Delhi but there is still no word on if incumbent CM Sarbananda Sonowal would continue for a second term or will it be incumbent Finance and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma who would replace Sonowal as Assam's 15th Chief Minister.

"A meeting of the BJP Massam latest political news,Sarbananda Sonowal, Himanta Biswa Sarma,assam cm updates,assam cm latest news,assam next cm issueLAs is likely to be held on Sunday in Guwahati. You will get all your answers tomorrow after the meeting," Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told reporters in New Delhi after stepping out of the series of meetings that went on for almost four hours.

The meeting in New Delhi was attended by BJP's Parliamentary Board members, BJP's National President J P Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP National General Secretary B L Santosh along with Sonowal and Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Of the three rounds of meetings that began at 11.15 AM on Saturday morning at the residence of Nadda in New Delhi, in the first round Shah, Nadda and Santosh held a meeting with Sarma, after which another round of meeting was held with Sonowal and then the third round of meeting was held with Sonowal and Sarma together with the members of the BJP Parliamentary Board.

Political observers say that the party's decision to call for a BJP MLAs' meet in Guwahati indicates that the issue of choosing Assam's next CM is rather complex and complicated and a lot at stake for both the leaders in contention as well as the BJP party as a whole. Both Sonowal and Sarma have a strong support base within the party, be it the party workers or the elected MLAs. Choosing either or has clearly become a tough call for the BJP top brass in New Delhi.

The BJP Parliamentary Board appears to be handling the situation and both the senior Assam BJP leaders with a lot of respect and making an attempt to ensure that both their contributions to the party are not ignored or taken for granted.

Sonowal had led BJP to its maiden and historic victory in Assam in 2016, he had successfully managed to address volatile and sensitive issues like NRC and CAA in the state as the Chief Minister of a state with diverse ethnicity, tribes, communities and issues. He belongs to Assam's indigenous Sonowal-Kachari tribe, has a good, non-controversial image.

Sarma on the other hand has been the party's troubleshooter in the Northeast, he is the NEDA convenor. He has been lauded and appreciated for the manner in which he has been handling the COVID situation in Assam.

Any decision that BJP top brass takes will have its impact not just in Assam but the entire Northeast. Maybe that is why the decision to convene a meeting of the BJP MLAs in Guwahati.

BJP had won 60 seats and its allies AGP won 9 and UPPL got 6 seats in the 2021 Assam Assembly elections. Results were announced on May 2, Sunday.

Though the verdict has been clear, picking the CM seems to have become extremely difficult for the party.

Also Read: Assam's Next CM: Amit Shah, Nadda, Sonowal, Himanta Biswa Meet in New Delhi to Start Shortly, Decision Likely Post 2 PM

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