Guwahati, Jan 17: Lok Sabha MP Dilip Saikia was elected unopposed as the new Assam BJP president on Friday.
Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the returning officer for the election, handed over the official appointment letter to Saikia.
Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and outgoing state party president Bhabesh Kalita were present on the occasion.
Saikia, a BJP national general secretary and a second-term MP from Darrang-Udalguri constituency (formerly Mangaldai), was the sole nominee for the position.
He filed his nomination papers on Thursday evening, backed by a list of 20 proposers and supporters.
Among the signatories were outgoing state president Kalita, CM Sarma, and deputy speaker of Assam Assembly Numol Momin.
Saikia, aged 51, has held various positions in the BJP and its youth wing and was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 2019.
Top central leaders such as Harish Dwivedi, Sambit Patra and Sunil Bansal oversaw the election process and held consultations with the state leadership to finalise a consensus candidate for the top post. (PTI)