Assam BJP leaders Sarma, Sonowal meet party's top brass in Delhi

BJP leaders from the state Himanta Biswa Sarma and Sarbananda Sonawal separately met party president JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the national capital. After the meeting, Sarma said the BJP Legislature Party is scheduled to meet in Assam on Sunday to elect its leader.

New Delhi:Amid speculation over the next chief minister of Assam, BJP leaders from the state Himanta Biswa Sarma and Sarbananda Sonawal separately met party president J P Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah here on Saturday.

Both incumbent Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Health Minister Himanta Sarma were on Friday called to New Delhi by the BJP central leadership, apparently to discuss the leadership issue of the next government.

Though both leaders from Assam reached Delhi on Saturday morning it was Sarma who reached Nadda's residence first to meet him and BJP general secretary (Organisation) B L Santhosh. They were later joined by Amit Shah.

After Sarma left, Sonowal met the BJP's top brass.

Read:BJP top brass divided over Assam's next CM

After the meeting, Sarma said the BJP Legislature Party is scheduled to meet in Assam on Sunday to elect its leader.

Sonowal, who belongs to Assam's indigenous Sonowal-Kachari tribals, and Sarma, the convenor of the North East Democratic Alliance, both are contenders for the top post of the Assam government.

The BJP had not announced a Chief Ministerial candidate before the Assembly polls in Assam.

Read:BJP yet to decide on next Assam chief minister

In the 2016 Assembly polls, the BJP had projected Sonowal as its Chief Ministerial candidate and won, forming the first saffron party government in the northeast.

This time, the party has been maintaining that it would decide who would be the next Chief Minister of Assam after the elections.

In the results announced for the 126-member Assam assembly last Sunday, the BJP won 60 seats while its alliance partners AGP got nine seats and UPPL six.

PTI