Himanta Biswa Sarma sworn-in as 15th Assam CM

Guwahati, May 10 (IANS) Himanta Biswa Sarma was on Monday sworn-in as the 15th Chief Minister of Assam, a day after he was named as the leader of the newly-elected BJP legislators in the state.Sarma was administered the oath of office by Governor Jagdish Mukhi at the famous Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra in Guwahati. Besides the Chief minister, 13 newly-elected MLAs of the BJP and its allies, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People Party Liberal (UPPL), were also sworn in.The 13 Ministers comprised Ranjeet Kumar Dass, Atul Bora, U.G. Brahma, Parimal Suklabaidya, Chandra Mohan Patowary, Keshb Mahanta, Ranoj Pegu, Sanjay Kishan, Jogen Mohan, Ajanta Neog, Ashok Singhal, Pijush Hazarika and Bimal Bora. Neog, who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party weeks before the recently-held Assembly polls, was a Congress Minister in the previous Tarun Gogoi-led governments.State BJP President Dass, Pegu and Singhal have been inducted as Ministers for the first time.BJP President J.P. Nadda, former Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Chief Ministers from other northeastern states and a host of top dignitaries were present in the hour-long swearing-in-ceremony.
--IANS sc/ksk/