New Delhi, May 9 (PTI) BJP leaders congratulated Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday on his election as the leader of its Assam legislative party, and said he will be a worthy successor to outgoing chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

With the election, Sarma is set to be the next chief minister of the state. He will take oath on Monday.

BJP general secretary (org) B L Santhosh said Sarma will be a "worthy successor to gentle man, compassionate" Sonowal.

Together they steered Assam into a period of peace and development, he tweeted.

Senior BJP leader Bhupender Yadav said people of Assam will gain abundantly from his administrative experience and dedication to work for the masses.

Union minister Smriti Irani tweeted, "Congratulations to @himantabiswa ji on being elected as leader of @BJP4Assam Legislative Party. I extend my best wishes to him as he takes forward development agenda of PM @narendramodi Ji in Assam."

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)