Sonowal is BJP's CM candidate in Assam

The BJP on Thursday named union minister Sarbananda Sonowal as its chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming assembly elections in Assam.

"The (BJP) parliamentary board has decided that the Assam assembly elections will be contested under the leadership of Sarbananda Sonowal," union Health Minister J.P. Nadda told reporters here.

The decision was taken here at a meeting of the party's parliamentary board attended, among others, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah.

Sonowal, the union minister for youth affairs and sports and the BJP's Assam unit president, also attended the meeting.

Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in April-May.

"In the parliamentary board meeting, upcoming elections of five states were discussed but the decision was taken for Assam only," Nadda said after the meeting.

"BJP will form the government in the northeastern state," he added.

After the announcement, Modi, Shah and other parliamentary board members congratulated Sonowal on being named as the chief ministerial candidate.

"I want to thank Modi ji and Amit Shah ji. I am grateful to them. I believe people of Assam will elect us to power in upcoming assembly elections," Sonowal told reporters.