Assam BJP announces 18-member core committee ahead of Shah's visit

Guwahati: The BJP announced an 18-member new core committee of its Assam unit ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah's two-day visit to the state.

Shah is scheduled to hold a meeting with the new core committee on Thursday night to review preparations and strategise for the 2026 assembly polls.

State BJP chief Dilip Saikia said the new core committee was announced with the approval of the party's national president JP Nadda.

Apart from Saikia, the other members of the committee are Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union ministers Sarbananda Sonowal and Pabitra Margherita, the party's national secretary Kamakhya Prasad Tasa, state ministers Ashok Singhal, Ranoj Pegu and Ranjeet Kumar Dass, and former state president Bhabesh Kalita.

Three state vice presidents of the party, Ashok Bhattarai, Rekharani Das Boro and Moon Swarnakar, and five general secretaries, GR Ravindra Raju, Diplu Ranjan Sarmah, Pallab Lochan Das, Rituparna Baruah and Anup Barman, are also in the core committee along with former MP Rajdeep Roy.

The special invitees to the committee are state BJP in-charge Harish Dwivedi, the party's Northeast coordinator Sambit Patra, and co-coordinator V Muralidharan.

The committee's primary role is to formulate strategy, ensure coordination at all levels, and mobilise the grassroots workers to consolidate the base.

The BJP will be seeking a third consecutive term in office in the assembly polls next year.