AGP Renominates Birendra Baishya for Rajya Sabha from Assam
Despite internal calls for younger representation, AGP reaffirms trust in veteran leader for June 19 poll
The regional Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) has decided to renominate outgoing Rajya Sabha MP and former Union minister Birendra Prasad Baishya for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Assam. AGP general secretary Ponakon Baruah said Baishya’s name was finalised by the party’s central committee in a meeting held late Saturday night.
Elections for two Rajya Sabha seats from Assam are scheduled for June 19, with the counting of votes to be conducted the same day. Baishya, who has earlier served one term in the Lok Sabha and two in the Rajya Sabha, will see his current term in the upper house end later this month. The AGP and its ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), currently hold one Rajya Sabha seat each and have agreed to field candidates accordingly.
Despite calls from younger leaders within the party to encourage fresh faces, AGP has once again placed its faith in Baishya’s political experience and seniority. Notably, Pramod Bhengra, president of the Asom Chah Parishad (AGP’s tea garden cell) and a member of the Assam State Youth Commission, had also sought a Rajya Sabha nomination. Bhengra had emphasized that the AGP, as the state’s largest regional party, has yet to send a representative from the tea garden community to the Rajya Sabha.
Meanwhile, the BJP has announced Kanad Purkayastha, Secretary of BJP Assam Pradesh, as its nominee for the other seat. Both Baishya and Purkayastha will be contesting for the two seats vacated by Mission Ranjan Das (BJP) and Birendra Baishya (AGP), whose terms end on June 14, 2025.