The BJP on Monday indicated that central observers may be sent to Assam in a day or two even as internal consultation on how to determine who would be the next Chief Minister has already begun.
The BJP returned to power in Assam with Sarbananda Sonowal as Chief Minister but his colleague and campaign powerhouse Himanta Biswa Sarma is also seen as a contender for the chair, with the BJP never clearing the air during the polls that Mr. Sonowal would continue at the helm. That ambiguity even from senior leaders through the campaign fuelled speculation that change might be in the air.
BJP sources said its parliamentary board may soon name central observers to preside over the meeting of its newly elected party MLAs in Guwahati where they will pick their leader.
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The observers generally convey the choice of the top brass to the State leadership which in turn is endorsed by the MLAs. The party has won 74 seats, along with its allies the Asom Gana Parishad and the United People’s Party Liberal.
Mr. Sonowal, from upper Assam, is a long-time BJP man while Mr. Sarma has been the lynchpin of many of the party’s alliances in the northeast, and was at the forefront of handling the COVID-19 pandemic which many attribute as contributing to the BJP’s repeat victory.