GUWAHATI — The 16th Assam Legislative Assembly officially kicked off its new term on Thursday, as 126 newly elected legislators were sworn into office. This marks the formal beginning of the state’s legislative proceedings following the recently concluded assembly elections.
The session was initiated under the guidance of pro-tem Speaker Chandra Mohan Patowary, who first administered the oath of office to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
A Historic Sixth Term for CM Sarma
Shortly after the ceremony, Chief Minister Sarma took to social media to express his gratitude to his constituency and reflect on the milestone.
“Truly humbled to take oath as a Member of the Assam Legislative Assembly for the sixth consecutive term as a representative of the people of Jalukbari. It is an honour to serve in this august House. I look forward to healthy deliberations with my fellow MLAs,” Sarma stated.
Following the Chief Minister, several senior leaders took their oaths, including:
- Rameswar Teli: Senior BJP leader and former Union Minister.
- Atul Bora: Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) President.
- Charan Boro: Cabinet Minister, who chose to take his oath in Bodo.
- Other Senior Leaders: Ajanta Neog, Hitendra Nath Goswami, and Ranjit Kumar Dass.
Pro-tem Speaker Patowary noted that members were permitted to take their oaths in any recognized language of their choice, provided they submitted a copy of the text to the Assembly Secretariat. This led to a diverse display of the state’s cultural fabric, with MLAs swearing-in using Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, and Sanskrit. Notably, most legislators representing the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) opted for the Bodo language.
The opening session highlighted a powerful majority for the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which comfortably retained power by securing 102 out of the 126 seats in the House.
The Treasury Benches (NDA: 102 Seats)
- BJP: 82 seats (Single largest party)
- AGP: 10 seats
- BPF: 10 seats
The Opposition Bench (24 Seats)
- Congress: 19 seats
- Raijor Dal: 2 seats
- AIUDF: 2 seats
- Trinamool Congress: 1 seat
What’s Next for the Assembly?
With the swearing-in ceremony concluded, the Assembly is gearing up for a high-stakes session. The ruling alliance is expected to push forward with several major legislative promises made during their election campaign, chief among them being the introduction of the contentious Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill.
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