Himanta Biswa Sarma to be Assam’s new CM

Himanta Biswa Sarma will succeed Sarbananda Sonowal as the chief minister of Assam. At the legislature party meeting held in Guwahati yesterday, Sonowal had proposed the name of Sarma after Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave his approval for Sarma's elevation, and it was seconded by the MLAs. The BJP won a second straight term in the recently concluded assembly polls in the state. The party won 60 seats in the 126-member Assam assembly while its alliance partners AGP got nine seats and UPPL six seats. Mr Sarma, who switched to the BJP from the Congress six years ago, is credited as the architect who brought the northeast states within the party's grasp. He also handled the health portfolio in the Sonowal government.