PM Modi Cabinet Expansion: Former Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal takes oath as Union minister
NEW DELHI- Former Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal was inducted into Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s new Cabinet on Wednesday.
Sonowal was chief minister of the BJP-led Assam government from 2016 till last month. Even though the BJP-led alliance returned to power, Sonowal was not made chief minister and was replaced by Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Sonowal was the Union sports minister in the Modi government from 2014 to 2016, before taking charge as the chief minister of Assam.
He has earlier served as Union Minister of State (Independent charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Sports and Youth Affairs in PM Modi’s cabinet during his first term.
Sonowal had started from students politics and was the president of Assam’s oldest student body, the All Assam Students Union (AASU) from 1992 to 1999.
He was the president of the Union from 1992 to 1999. Also from 1994 – 2004, Sonowal was the Chairman of North East Students Organisation (NESO), the umbrella student organization spread across the seven North-Eastern States.
From 2001 to 2004, he served as MLA, Assam Legislative Assembly from Moran Constituency. From 2004 – 2009, he served as Member of Parliament, 14th Lok Sabha from Dibrugarh Constituency.
Starting in student politics, he has been in public life for 3 decades. Sonowal has an LLB from Guwahati University.
