Sarbananda Sonowal began his political career in the All Assam Students Union, and was its president between 1992 and 1999. Mr. Sonowal joined the Asom Gana Parishad, the political avatar of the AASU, in 2001 and was elected MLA in the same year.
He entered the Lok Sabha for the first time in 2004 after defeating former Union Minister Paban Singh Ghatowar in Dibrugarh. After having differences with the AGP leadership he joined the BJP in 2011. Following his exit from AGP, many party workers followed him to join BJP. He was appointed president of the Assam unit of the BJP in 2012.
Mr. Sonowal is credited with successfully challenging the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act, which was stuck down by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional in 2005.
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Mr. Sonowal was the Assam BJP chief till his return to the Lok Sabha in the 2014 polls. He was made a Minister of State in the Narendra Modi government. He was appointed Assam unit chief again in 2015, a year ahead of the State polls.
After BJP lost in Bihar Assembly Election, the Narendra Modi government in January 2016, appointed him as the Chief Ministerial candidate, in a departure from the party tradition. This was a carefully strategised move by the party to go local in state.
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Education: LL.B., B.C.J. from Dibrugarh University and Gauhati University
Political career:
1992-1999: AASU president
2001: Joins AGP
2001: MLA from Moran
2004: MP from Dibrugarh
2011: Joins BJP
2012-2014: Appointed BJP Assam unit chief
2014: MP from Lakhimpur, Union Minister in Narendra Modi government
2016: BJP Chief Ministerial candidate