Guwahati: Assam Finance Minister and senior BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said he may contest the coming Lok Sabha polls from any of the 14 seats in the state if the party wished so.

Speculations that Sarma may contest in Lok Sabha elections have been doing the rounds for some time since veteran BJP Parliamentarian from Gauhati constituency, Bijoya Chakravarty, announced her intention not to be in the fray in 2019.

Sarma is currently a member of Assam Assembly from Jalukbari constituency, which is a part of Guwahati.

Asked if he is likely to be the BJP candidate from Gauhati seat, the minister said, "I can contest from any of the 14 constituencies in Assam. I will contest if ticket is given to me."

Talking to reporters at the Assembly complex after presenting the state budget, the NEDA convenor said he cannot make a decision on himself.

In 2016, the BJP floated a platform of non-Congress parties, North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), and Sarma was made its convenor.

Out of four terms as an MLA, he was a Congress legislator for three times before switching over to the BJP, months before the Assembly polls in 2016.

Sarma is currently holding portfolios of finance, transformation and development, health and family welfare and PWD.


Catch the Biggest Newsmakers and the Biggest Newsbreaks on CNN-News18, your favourite English TV news channel. Keep watching CNN-News18 at just 50 Paise per Month. Contact your cable /DTH operator Now!
*Rental / capacity fee of Rs.130/- as charged by cable / DTH operator may apply. **GST extra.