Speaker Ranjit Das to replace Sarbananda Sonowal as Assam BJP chief

Ending months of speculations and rumours, the Bharatiya Janata Party has selected assembly speaker Ranjit Das to replace Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal as chief of the party’s Assam unit.

Published on: Dec 16, 2016, 14:55:06 IST

Hindustan Times, Guwahati | By Utpal Parashar

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Ending months of speculations and rumours, the Bharatiya Janata Party has selected assembly speaker Ranjit Das to replace Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal as chief of the party’s Assam unit.

Ranjit Das (right) takes over from Sarbananda Sonowal (left) Assam BJP chief. (File Photo)

“BJP national president Amit Shah has appointed Ranjit Das as the party’s Assam unit president. The decision will come into effect immediately,” stated BJP’s national general secretary Arun Singh in a statement.

The two-time legislator from Sorbhog in Barpeta district, who had been elected unanimously as Speaker of Assam’s 14th legislative assembly in June this year, is at present in England on tour.

The 51-year-old is a former Indian Information Service (IIS) officer who also used to work as a journalist with various English and Assamese dailies for nearly a decade.

With a masters’ degree in botany from Gauhati University, Das had also worked as a lecturer. He had joined the BJP in 1992 and had held various positions in district and state committees before becoming Speaker.

He was elected to the assembly for the first time in 2011.

Das’s selection had the backing of Sonowal and also Himanta Biswa Sarma, a senior minister in Assam’s first BJP-led government.

“My congratulations to Shri Ranjit Das, MLA on being appointed president of @BJP4Assam and gratitude to @BJP4India president Shri @AmitShah,” Sarma tweeted.

Das’s name for the post was doing rounds since October. He will take charge once he arrives back from England.

Fresh speculations have now started on who would assume Das’s post as speaker of the assembly.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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