In what was a mere formality, veteran Congress leader Tarun Gogoi was unanimously elected as leader of the Assam Pradesh Congress Legislature Party for the third consecutive term on Tuesday.
The resolution to elect Mr Gogoi as CLP leader was moved by Assam Congress president Bhubneswar Kalita.
Former chief minister and seniormost Congress leader Bhumidhar Barman proposed the name of Mr Gogoi, which was seconded by senior Congress leaders and MLA Rameswar Dhanowar, G.C. Langthasa, Amiya Gogoi and Chandan Sarkar.
All the newly-elected Congress MLAs then raised their hands in support of Mr Gogoi. He was elected leader in the presence of Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, AICC general secretary and Congress in-charge of Assam Digvijay Singh, Union minister Bijoy Krishna Handique and CWC member Hema Prabha Saikia.
Mr Gogoi is scheduled to take oath as chief minister on Wednesday at Raj Bhavan and then go to New Delhi for consultations with the party high command to finalise his new council of ministers.
According to the strength of the Assam Assembly, Mr Gogoi can accommodate 19 ministers in his council out of which one ministerial berth will go to Bodoland People’s Front, which extended its support to the ruling party outside the Bodoland Territorial Council.
Soon after his election as leader, Mr Gogoi told reporters that he would ensure the representation of all in his council.
Thanking his partymen for reposing faith on him, Mr Gogoi exhorted the elected MLAs and other Congressmen to work hard and not get complacent.
Mr Mukherjee also urged the party workers to put in all efforts to live up to the expectations of the people who have reposed their faith in the Congress.
“The mandate for the Congress is to continue the good work. We must be able to live up to the expectations,” Mr Mukherjee said.
The Congress had retained power in the state for the third straight term, winning 78 of the total 126 Assembly seats.