GUWAHATI : Riding on a landslide mandate for the BJP-led NDA in Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday indicated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to attend the upcoming oath-taking ceremony, with the final date contingent on the Prime Minister’s availability.

Addressing reporters in Guwahati, Sarma said the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party is keen on Modi’s presence this time, recalling that the Prime Minister could not attend the 2021 swearing-in due to COVID-19 restrictions. “If his visit is confirmed, the dates will be decided accordingly. That is why we may take two to three more days for discussions,” he said.

Sarma added that the formal process of government formation would be overseen by BJP’s central leadership, noting that party president Nitin Nabin will appoint observers, after which cabinet selection and gubernatorial procedures will follow.

Highlighting the scale of the NDA’s victory, Sarma revealed that the alliance’s final tally of 102 seats closely matched his own pre-election projections. According to him, the estimate was based on extensive ground-level feedback gathered during the campaign.

“After delimitation, we identified around 103 constituencies where we expected favourable demographics. From the beginning, I assumed Sivasagar would not be ours. Apart from that, there were no other seats within those 103 where we anticipated defeat. That is why the number came to 102,” he said.

The Chief Minister further claimed that he had documented this projection in advance and shared it with Union Minister of State Pabitra Margherita, who later displayed it publicly. He also noted that senior leader Sarbananda Sonowal had similarly predicted the alliance would cross the 100-seat mark.

Rejecting suggestions of guesswork, Sarma attributed the accuracy of the forecast to sustained grassroots engagement. “When you travel across constituencies and attend meetings, you can sense from public response whether you are winning or losing. There is no magic in it,” he said.

Drawing a contrast with the Opposition, Sarma took a swipe at Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi, claiming that limited campaign outreach weakened the party’s performance. “Throughout this election, he attended around 30 meetings, whereas we were constantly on the ground,” Sarma said, adding that he had personally visited every constituency with party candidates multiple times since August 2025.

With the NDA set to form the government for a third consecutive term, attention has now shifted to leadership formalities and the swearing-in ceremony, which could witness a high-profile ???? if the Prime Minister’s visit is finalised.