Cabinet reshuffle: Former Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal joins Team Modi

Sonowal, a two-time Lok Sabha MP from Assam, has served as Assam’s chief minister from 2016-21

Here’s one more former chief minister in the all-new Modi cabinet. Sarbananda Sonowal is a two-time Lok Sabha MP from Assam and has been a two-time MLA. He has served as Assam’s chief minister from 2016-21 and has been touted as one of the popular CMs of the state. He has earlier served as Union Minister of State (Independent charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

A low-profile man but always sporting an infectious smile, Sonowal hails from the Kachari tribe and is known to have brought in a unique synthesis of tribal leadership and Hindutva politics in Assam. This has been his USP in the BJP too.

Sonowal started his political career as a student leader and has been in public life for three decades. Sonowal was President of the All-Assam Student Union between 1992 and 1999. He then left the body to begin his political career by joining the Asom Gana Parishad. Sonowal has studied law and has done LLB from Guwahati University.