Following the meeting, Sarma met Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya at the Lok Bhavan to stake a claim to form the new government. He has claimed to have the support of 102 MLAs of the NDA who have been elected in the polls. Apart from Nadda and Saini, Sarma was also accompanied by BJP leaders and former cabinet members Pijush Hazarika, Ajanta Neog and Ranjeet Dass, all of whom have been re-elected. Former Union minister and MLA-elect Rameshwar Teli, and alliance partner AGP’s MLA-elect Atul Bora and BPF’s MLA-elect Rihon Daimary also remained present.

This paves the way for Sarma to be appointed as chief minister of the state for a second time. His appointment this time as the party’s CM face is in contrast with the week-long uncertainty that followed after the BJP won the 2021 Assembly elections. Last time, the prime contenders were Sarma and Sarbananda Sonowal, the first BJP CM in Assam after the party’s victory in 2016. While the BJP did not formally declare a CM face before the polls, Sarma has been the face of the party’s election campaign in the state.

This time, the BJP and its allies have seen their biggest win in the state so far, with the BJP winning 82 seats, and its allies AGP and BPF winning 10 each in the 126-member Assam Assembly. Among opposition parties, the Congress has won 19 seats, the Raijor Dal and AIUDF two each, and the Trinamool Congress has bagged one seat.