Assam: BJP, AGP to claim 1 RS seat each

Guwahati: Fulfilling the pre-poll commitment to its ally regional Asom Gana Parishad, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has decided to contest only one of the two Rajya Sabha seats and leaving the other to its regional partners.   

If required the election to the Rajya Sabha will be held on June 7.

After the meeting of AGP president Atul Bora with BJP president Amit Shah in New Delhi on Sunday, Assam finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told reporter in New Delhi that preliminary discussions are over and BJP has decided to leave one of the two seats for AGP.

Meanwhile putting all speculation to rest, the BJP on Monday announced the name of ex-MP and senior tea-tribe leader Kamakhya Prasad Tasha as party’s candidate for Rajya Sabha from Assam.

The last day for filing the nomination of candidate is Tuesday.

The AGP president has already announced that AGP will field former union minister and ex-Rajya Sabha MP Biren Prasad Baishya.

According to deal struck for AGP’s return to the NDA just before the Lok Sabha elections, BJP had promised to leave one Rajya Sabha seat and three Lok Sabha seats for the regional party. AGP had walked out of the alliance after differences over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. The BJP-led three-party alliance, with BPF, has enough numbers in the state assembly to capture both seats.

Earlier Mr Sarma had also clarified that there was no question of fielding anyone from outside the state. He was referring the reports in media indicating BJP giving one of the two seats to former union minister Ram Vilas Paswan.

The tenure of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who has been a five-time Rajya Sabha member from the state will end on June 14. Mr Singh was in Rajya Sabha MP from Assam since 1992.