The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday appointed Union Home Minister and former party Chief Amit Shah as the central observer to choose its legislative party leader in West Bengal, following the resounding assembly election victory there on Monday. The BJP has also appointed Union minister JP Nadda as its central observer for Assam, where the party won a third consecutive term.
BJP appoints observers for West Bengal, Assam
According to a statement by the BJP, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has been made co-observer for the election of the legislative party leader in Assam, and Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has been appointed as co-observer for West Bengal.
West Bengal election results
The BJP ousted Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress from power in Bengal, winning 207 out of the 294 assembly seats in the state. The TMC which had been in power in West Bengal since 2011 was reduced to just 80 seats, with three-term Chief Minister and party supremo Mamata also facing defeat in Bhabanipur to BJP's Suvendu Adhikari.
Who will be the new CM of West Bengal?
The BJP is expected to form the government, the party's first in West Bengal on May 9 and Adhikari, who was the leader of opposition in assembly is one of the frontrunners for the post of the Chief Minister. Other names being discussed include that of BJP state unit chief Samik Bhattacharya and vice-president Agnimitra Paul and former MP Dilip Ghosh.
BJP gets third term in Assam
In Assam, BJP secured 82 seats, surpassing the majority mark of 64 by 18 seats, with its regional allies, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland People's Front (BPF), each winning 10 seats. While the Congress, despite its alliance with five other parties, could only manage 19 seats.
This is the third consecutive term for the BJP in Assam securing a two-thirds majority, with a record high of 102 seats in the 126-member assembly, while the Congress-led opposition delivered its worst performance in recent times.
The saffron party secured a majority on its own for the first time in the state. It won 60 seats in 2021 and 2016. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who had been in office since May 2021 is widely expected to get another term for his historic mandate in the state.
