GUWAHATI: The Cotton University erstwhile Cotton College fraternity was elated after receiving the news of their most popular student union leader from the late 1980s becoming the 15th chief minister of Assam.
One of the breeding grounds of future politicians, Cotton College produced six former chief ministers of Assam- Gopinath Bordoloi, Mahendra Mohan Choudhury, Sarat Chandra Singha, Jogendra Nath Hazarika, Hiteswar Saikia and Bhumidhar Barman- in the post-independence era. Despite the Cotton alumni playing an influential role across the political spectrum of the state all along, a Cottonian could not adorn the chief minister s chair in Assam since 1996. As Himanta Biswa Sarma is set to be sworn in as the new chief minister on Monday, both the alumni and students of the leading higher education institution have pinned high hopes from him, which is far broader than transforming the education scenario of the state.