Himanta Biswa Sarma - The man behind BJP's phenomenal rise in North-East

NEW DELHI: Himanta Biswa Sarma, the charioteer of BJP`s stride in the Northeast, is all set to take oath as the 15th Chief Minister of Assam amid a simple ceremony on Monday.

Himanta Sarma, who was elected as the leader of the BJP legislative party in Assam on Sunday, will replace Sarbananda Sonowal, who tendered his resignation as Assam Chief Minister to Governor Jagadish Mukhi.

The Governor also accepted Himanta Biswa Sarma`s claim for chief ministership and asked him to form the government. On being announced the Chief Minister of the state Sarma took to Twitter to express his gratitude to the people of the state. "With the fragrance of Assam in my heart & the love of my wonderful people in my veins, I offer my deepest gratitude to you all. I would not have been what I am had it not been for your pious faith in me. On this day, I vow to work with & for each one of you with greater passion Assam," he tweeted. 

In another tweet, he thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying, "This is the biggest day in my life, and I so fondly cherish your generous affection. I assure you we shall leave no stone unturned to carry forward your vision of taking Assam, & NE to greater heights."

Political career 

Sarma has been credited as the man behind the BJP's saffron surge in the North East. The veteran leader has played a stellar role in the success of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Assembly polls in Assam with the alliance returning to power overcoming the stiff challenge posed by the Congress-led alliance. 

He was a key campaigner of the party and strongly articulated its position on various issues at play in Assam which has a diverse population with sometimes competing interests. During the campaign, he took repeated digs at Congress for its alliance with All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF). 

A mass leader

Fondly known as 'Mama', Sarma won from Jalukbari, a seat he has won four times earlier. He won the seat by a margin of 1,01,911 votes. He has risen in prominence in BJP since he joined the party in 2015 and has played a key role in the party`s growing footprint in Assam as also other states of the northeast.

A former ‘blue-eyed’ boy of Congress

Sarma was once a former Congress strongman and 'blue-eyed boy' of former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi. He felt side-lined in Congress as he had apparent chief ministerial ambitions and joined the BJP, which was looking for expansion in the northeast.

Sarma is credited with the Congress party's victory in the 2011 Assembly polls when the party won 79 of 126 seats. However, his career in the Congress was also dogged by allegations of corruption and critics dubbing him as a 'Machiavellian operator'.

A falling out with Gogoi over the political prospects of the chief minister's son Gaurav and a snub for a 'pride of place' in party high command led him to join the BJP just prior to the 2016 Assembly polls. By August 2016, he was appointed convener of the then-newly formed NEDA.

Sarma helped BJP oust the Congress in the 2016 assembly elections and gave BJP its first victory in the northeastern state.  The BJP forged alliances with Bodoland People`s Front and Asom Gana Parishad. The alliance won 86 seats. In 2018, Sarma with the BJP's Tripura in-charge, managed to break the entire top leadership of the state Trinamool Congress and the Congress to bring them into the BJP fold as well as build an Assam-style alliance with the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT).

An able administrator 

Sarma handled key portfolios like Finance, Health and Education in the Sarbananda Sonowal government. He was made the convener of the North East Development Alliance (NEDA). His work and strategy have contributed to BJP`s growth in all the states of the northeast.

Sarma had cut his teeth in the All Assam Students` Union and made a mark as he won Jalukbari assembly in 2001 defeating Bhrigu Kumar Phukan, one of his political mentors. He has also been president of the Badminton Association of India. 

Early life & schooling 

Born on 1 February 1969, to Kailash Nath Sarma and Mrinalini Devi, Sarma studied at Guwahati's Kamrup Academy School and Cotton College. He was general secretary (GS) of Cotton college Student's Union from 1991 to 1992.

He has an LLB From Government Law College and a PhD from Gauhati University. Sarma practised law at Gauhati High Court from 1996 to 2001.

He married Riniki Bhuyan Sarma on 7 June 2001, with whom he has a son and a daughter. In 2017, he was elected as the Badminton Association of India president.

Third disgruntled Congress leader to become CM 

Sarma had quit the Tarun Gogoi-led Congress government ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and the party in 2015. Sources said that Sarma had dreamt of becoming the Chief Minister of the state.

Opposing Chief Minister Gogoi’s leadership, he switched over to the BJP. Though he did not succeed in becoming the Chief Minister after the BJP`s victory in the 2016 Assembly elections, this time, considering his hard work in the 2021 Assembly polls, the party decided to give him the post, replacing the outgoing Chief Minister, Sarbananad Sonowal.

Earlier, two more Congress leaders  - N Biren Singh and Pema Khandu – who switched to BJP had become chief ministers of Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh respectively.