TNT PROFILES | Facts you should about Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal

GUWAHATI:

With elections to the Assam Legislative Assembly just around the corner, it's good to know a few things about the politicians and key players in State politics.

TNT-The Northeast Today brings to you a few facts you should know about your political leaders.

First on the list is the incumbent Chief Minister of Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal.

> Sonowal was born on October 31, 1962, in Molokgaon in Assam’s Dibrugarh district.

> He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Hanumanbaksh Kanoi College under Dibrugarh University and passed his LLB from Gauhati University. He also holds a Master's Degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from Gauhati University.

> He was the president of the All Assam Students’ Union from 1992 to 1999; was a member of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and was elected as the MLA from Moran Constituency in 2001.

> In 2004, he became a Lok Sabha member representing the Dibrugarh constituency till 2009 before joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2011.

> According to Sonowal, he left the AGP as he was not happy with the party's leadership.

> He officially joined the BJP on February 8, 2011, in the presence of the then BJP National President Nitin Gadkari and senior leaders including Varun Gandhi, Vijay Goel, Bijoya Chakravarty and state BJP president Ranjit Dutta.

> He served as the Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs, Government of India, and was elected to the 16th Lok Sabha from the Lakhimpur Lok Sabha constituency in Assam as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

> Sonowal was selected as the CM candidate for the BJP in the 2016 Assam Assembly Elections.

> On May 19, 2016, Sonowal won the Assembly Election from Majuli Constituency and went on to become the next Chief Minister of Assam, bringing an end to a decade-long rule of the Congress in Assam.

DID YOU KNOW?

> The annual Guwahati International Film Festival was started during Sonowal's tenure. It is organised by the State Government-owned Jyoti Chitraban (Film Studio) Society in association with the Dr Bhupen Hazarika Regional Government Film and Television Institute. The first edition was held in Oct 2018.

> His famous Supreme Court case led to the scrapping of the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) Act, 1983 (IMDT Act).

> His hobbies include cricket, football, badminton and reading.

Positions held:

2001-2004: Elected as MLA, Assam Legislative Assembly from Moran Constituency

2004: Elected as Member of Parliament, 14th Lok Sabha from Dibrugarh Constituency

2005: Appointed Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Home Affairs

2006: Appointed Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Commerce & Industry

2011: Appointed as National Executive Member of Bharatiya Janata Party

2011: Appointed as State Spokesperson and General Secretary for Assam Bharatiya Janata Party

2012: Appointed as State President for Assam Bharatiya Janata Party

2014: Elected as Member of Parliament, 16th Lok Sabha from Lakhimpur Constituency

2014: Appointed as Union Minister of State-Independent Charge, Republic of India

2016: Declared as BJP Chief minister candidate for 2016 Assam assembly elections.

2016: Member of Assam Legislative Assembly from Majuli Constituency

2016–Present: 14th Chief Minister of Assam

Social and cultural activities:

President- All Assam Students Union, 1992–1999

Chairman- North East Students' Organisation, 1996–2000

(Edited by Andre Kongri)

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Also Read: Know your politicians: Facts you need to know about Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal