Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) president Atul Bora was on Wednesday unanimously chosen as the legislature party leader by the newly elected MLAs during the party’s first meeting after the assembly polls. The legislators also proposed the name of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Himanta Biswa Sarma to head the new government, citing his extensive developmental work in the previous term.

In the recently concluded elections to the 126-member Assam Assembly, the BJP secured 82 seats, while its allies Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) and AGP won 10 seats each. Bora, who retained his Bokakhat constituency, announced that working president Keshab Mahanta, re-elected from Kaliabor, will serve as deputy leader in the assembly. Dimoria MLA Tapan Das was appointed as secretary of the legislature party, and Bajali legislator Dharmeswar Roy as chief whip. Both Das and Roy are first-time MLAs.

Bora stated that the meeting participants expressed gratitude to the people of Assam for their support and paid homage to the martyrs of the Assam Agitation, which had led to the formation of the AGP. He emphasised that the MLAs pledged to work for the development of their constituencies, the state, and its indigenous communities.

Elections were held in a single phase on April 9, with votes counted on May 4. Bora reiterated that the legislature party’s unanimous proposal for Sarma’s leadership reflected confidence in his ability to continue Assam’s progress.