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Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on May 21 took oath as a member of the 16th Assam Legislative Assembly on the opening day of the new Assembly session.

The oath was administered by Protem Speaker Chandra Mohan Patowary, with Sarma choosing to take the oath in Assamese.

As proceedings began, Patowary informed members that they were free to take oath in any recognised language of their choice. “All the members can take an oath in any recognised language they wish to. They can submit their oath copies to the assembly office,” he said.

Following the chief minister, MLAs from different parties took oath in Assamese, Bengali, Bodo and Sanskrit, reflecting the linguistic diversity of the state legislature.

The swearing-in ceremony comes after the NDA returned to power in Assam with a dominant performance in the Assembly elections. The alliance — comprising the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led BJP, the AGP and the BPF — secured 102 seats in the 126-member House.

The BJP emerged with 82 seats, while the Asom Gana Parishad and Bodoland People’s Front won 10 seats each.

On the opposition benches, the Congress secured 19 seats, while Raijor Dal won two. The AIUDF and Trinamool Congress managed two and one seat respectively after contesting independently.