Guwahati

Himanta Biswa Sarma began his second consecutive term as chief minister on Tuesday, as the BJP-led NDA formed its third straight government in Assam. Alongside him, four legislators were sworn in as ministers at a grand ceremony in Guwahati.

Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya administered the oath of office and secrecy to Sarma and the four ministers at the Veterinary Ground in Khanapara.

The newly inducted ministers include BJP leaders Ajanta Neog and Rameswar Teli, Atul Bora of Asom Gana Parishad, and Charan Boro of the Bodoland People's Front. Portfolios are yet to be assigned.

The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers including Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari and Sarbananda Sonowal, along with chief ministers and deputy chief ministers from NDA-ruled states.

Dressed in traditional attire with a gamosa around his neck, Sarma took the oath in Assamese. Three of the ministers—Teli, Bora and Neog—also took oath in Assamese, while Charan Boro took oath in Bodo.

In a message posted later, Sarma thanked the people of Assam and invoked the blessings of Kamakhya Temple and the spiritual legacy of Srimanta Sankardev, reaffirming his commitment to serve the state.

Among the ministers, Neog, Bora and Boro were part of the previous cabinet, while former Union minister Teli returned to state politics after winning from Duliajan.

The NDA secured a record 102 seats in the 126-member Assam Assembly, with the BJP winning 82 seats, while AGP and BPF contributed 10 seats each to the alliance tally.

Profiles of the new ministers

Ajanta Neog
A six-time MLA from Golaghat, Neog is Assam’s longest-serving woman legislator, representing the constituency continuously since 2001. She created history in 2021 by becoming the state’s first woman finance minister. Formerly associated with the Congress, she joined the BJP in 2020. Her husband, former minister Nagen Neog, was killed in a militant attack in 1996.

Rameswar Teli
A prominent tea tribe leader, Teli enters the state cabinet for the first time after serving as a Union minister of state. He began his political journey as an MLA from Duliajan in 2001 and later represented Dibrugarh in the Lok Sabha.

Atul Bora
A five-time legislator and president of AGP since 2014, Bora emerged from the student movement during the Assam Agitation. He has handled important portfolios including Agriculture and Assam Accord Implementation in previous governments.

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Charan Boro
Representing Mazbat in the Bodoland Territorial Region, Boro is serving his third term as MLA. He joined the previous cabinet during its expansion last year and had been entrusted with the Transport Department.