GUWAHATI, May 12: Himanta Biswa Sarma was sworn in as Chief Minister of Assam for the second consecutive term on Tuesday, following a decisive victory by the National Democratic Alliance in the recently concluded state assembly elections. The oath-taking ceremony was held at the Veterinary College Field in Guwahati.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP national president Nitin Nabin, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, Minister Nara Lokesh, several senior Union Ministers, and NDA chief ministers and deputy chief ministers from across the country attended the ceremony.

Along with Sarma, four cabinet ministers were also administered the oath of office on Tuesday. The ministerial berths were distributed among NDA constituent parties — the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Asom Gana Parishad and the Bodoland People's Front. Atul Bora of the Asom Gana Parishad, Charan Boro of the Bodoland People's Front, and Rameshwar Teli and Ajanta Neog of the BJP took oath as ministers in the new cabinet.

The NDA's emphatic performance in the Assam assembly elections, winning 81 of the 126 seats, paved the way for the alliance to return to power in the northeastern state for a third consecutive term — a feat that underscores the consolidation of the ruling coalition's political base in the region.

Sarma, who first assumed office as Chief Minister in 2021, has been the dominant face of BJP's political expansion in the northeast. His return to power with a strengthened mandate is widely seen as an endorsement of his administration's governance record over the past term.

The swearing-in ceremony witnessed a significant gathering of NDA leadership from across the country, reflecting the alliance's solidarity and the national importance accorded to the BJP's continued hold over Assam, one of the key states in India's northeastern corridor.

'Mana Ooru Mana Jenda' Wins National Acclaim; BJP Chief Nitin Nabin Calls PVN Madhav to Congratulate

Village-level flag hoisting initiative launched in Guntur district hailed as model for grassroots party strengthening across Andhra Pradesh

GUNTUR: The Bharatiya Janata Party's statewide initiative 'Mana Ooru Mana Jenda' (Our Village, Our Flag), being implemented under the direct supervision of state president PVN Madhav, has drawn national-level appreciation, with BJP national president Nitin Nabin personally telephoning Mr. Madhav to congratulate him on the programme's launch in Andhra Pradesh.

The initiative was formally inaugurated with the unfurling of the party flag at Motadaka village in Tadikonda mandal of Guntur district, and within moments of the flag hoisting, Mr. Nabin called Mr. Madhav to convey his greetings and commend the effort.

Expressing his appreciation, the national president observed that the programme would play a pivotal role in strengthening the party from the village level upwards — a strategic priority for the organisation ahead of future electoral contests. He described the objective of hoisting the BJP flag in every village across the state as a commendable organisational endeavour, adding that 'Mana Ooru Mana Jenda' would serve as an effective vehicle for channelling the Central government's welfare schemes to the grassroots.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Madhav urged party workers to immerse themselves in village life, engage directly with people at the ground level, and explain the benefits of Central government schemes to the common citizen. He affirmed that the programme would be rolled out extensively across every village in the state, making it a sustained and wide-reaching organisational exercise.

The launch marks a significant step in the BJP's efforts to deepen its organisational footprint in Andhra Pradesh, with the party leadership signalling its intent to build a robust presence in rural areas through consistent and structured grassroots engagement.