Assam's first BJP CM Sarbananda Sonowal inducted into union cabinet

Sarbananda Sonowal

After being BJP's first Chief Minister in the key North Eastern state of Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal has now been brought into the Central Cabinet.

In the order of precedence based on which 43 ministers were sworn in on July 7, Sonowal's name figured prominently in the second spot. This is widely considered to be an indication of key responsibilities that the government will now be placing on him.

Sonowal has been the first Chief Minister of Assam from the BJP, being at the helm of affairs in the state between 2016 and May 2021.

His tenure saw the issue of illegal infiltration by immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh gain centre stage with the state government setting up the National Register of Citizens for Assam, which the BJP later promised to implement nationwide.

It also saw creation of new districts to spread power throughout the state's disparate geography. Sonowal has focused on rebranding the state's image into an industry friendly one, and moved away from relying heavily on tourism as the largest job and revenue generating sector.

While he finally made way for his his Finance Minister and party colleague Himanta Biswa Sarma to be the Chief Minister of the state after the recently concluded elections, the move had seen tense negotiation for a period.

While many say that Sonowal has now been given charge of a key portfolio as compensation for relinquishing his claims to the office of the Chief Ministers, his administrative experience will certainly come handy to the BJP.

Sonowal is no stranger to the Central government. He had served as the minister of youth affairs and sports in the first Narendra Modi cabinet between 2014 and 2016. He was also the minister for entrepreneurship and skill development for a brief period in 2014.

Sonowal led Assam's oldest and one of the most politically active student bodies, the All Assam Students Union (AASU) from 1992 to 1999 as President. Afterwards he joined the Asom Gana Parishad, being elected in 2001 as the MLA from Moran constituency of Assam. In 2004, he became a Lok Sabha member representing Dibrugarh constituency. He lost the subsequent Lok Sabha election from Dibrugarh in 2009.

Sonowal has worked on his 'son of the soil' image and has continued to stress on the demographic threat to ethnic Assamese from Bangladeshi infiltration for many years now. Early on, he was instrumental in getting the controversial Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) (IMDT) Act struck down by the Supreme Court in December 2006, which made deportations of illegal immigrants easier.

Sonowal joined the BJP in 2011, climbing the ranks quickly to become the president of BJP's Assam Unit in 2012, at a time when the party was looking for a new face. In the 2014 general election, he was appointed to head the elections in Assam, also getting elected in the process as a Member of Parliament from Lakhimpur Constituency. Sonowal is also a member of the party's National Executive.