Ranjit Dass appointed Assam BJP chief

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, Dec 16: Ending months of speculations, the BJP has appointed State Assembly Speaker Ranjit Kumar Dass as chief of the party’s Assam unit, replacing Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal who is presently holding the position. Dass will be the 17th president of the party’s State unit. However, he will formally take charge after his return from England.

Dass, a two-time legislator from Sorbhog in Barpeta district, had been elected unimously as Speaker of the Assam’s 14th Legislative Assembly in June this year. He is now on a tour to England mainly to discuss about the possibility of temporarily bringing the famed Vrindavani Vastra back to the State for public exhibition.     

BJP tiol general secretary Arun Singh appointed Dass the party’s Assam unit president. “Dass was appointed new Assam BJP chief by the party’s tiol general secretary Arun Singh on Friday through an official letter issued from the party head office in Delhi.” Dass (51) is a former Indian Information Service (IIS) officer who also used to work as a jourlist with various English and Assamese dailies for nearly a decade. He had also worked as a lecturer. Dass had joined the BJP in 1992 and held various positions in district and State committees before becoming Speaker.

He was elected to the Assembly for the first time in 2011 and was the deputy leader of the BJP in the State Legislative Assembly from 2011 to 2016.

“After his (Dass’) return from England, he will formally take over as the president of the party’s State unit within December. As an MLA and later as a Speaker, Ranjit Dass had successful careers and we sincerely hope that he will lead the party from the front in the coming days,” said State BJP organizing general secretary Phanindra th Sarma, adding, “we also hope that under his leadership, the party’s organizatiol structure in Assam will become solid and the party will perform well in the coming panchayat polls in the State.”

“My congratulations to Shri Ranjit Das, MLA on being appointed president of @BJP4Assam and gratitude to @BJP4India president Shri @AmitShah,” tweeted State Health and Education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal, who is currently holding the position of the party’s State president, has recently made Santanu Bharali as the in-charge president of the party.

Meanwhile, fresh speculations have now started on who would assume Dass’ post as Speaker of the Assembly. Party sources informed that the mes of Jorhat MLA Hitendra th Goswami and the State Irrigation minister Ranjit Datta, who was also the former president of the BJP, are doing the rounds for the post of Speaker.