BJP Names Kanad Purkayastha as Its Candidate for Assam RS Polls

Elections for two Rajya Sabha seats in Assam are scheduled on June 19, with counting of votes to take place the same day. The BJP will contest one seat, while decided to leave one seat for its ally the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) to contest.

The BJP on Saturday announced that the party's Assam state secretary Kanad Purkayastha will be its candidate for the Rajya Sabha election from the state.

In a press statement the BJP said that the party's central election committee has approved the candidature of Mr Purkayastha.

A party leader from Barak valley, Purkayastha is the son of veteran BJP leader and former union minister Kabindra Purkayastha.

Meanwhile, bogged down by multiple claims for the Rajya Sabha nomination the regional Asom Gana Parishad has formed a three-member committee for selecting the candidate.

The AGP president Atul Bora, admitted that many people are willing to contest for the Rajya Sabha from the party. “We discussed the Rajya Sabha seat nomination. The nomination date is June 9. This committee will hold discussions with all ticket aspirants and make the final decision through mutual understanding. We will declare the candidate within the next couple of days,” said Mr Bora.

The president of Asom Chah Parishad, the tea cell of the AGP, Pramod Bhengra, and a member of the Assam State Youth Commission, has sought nomination for the vacant Rajya Sabha seats.

Mr Bhengra is one of the leading figures of the tea garden working community within the AGP in Upper Assam. He has been associated with AGP for over 20 years and has served the party in various capacities in both affiliated organisations and the parent body of the regional party.

Mr Bhengra argued that the AGP being the largest regional party of the state, has never promoted a member from the tea garden working community to Rajya Sabha.

The Indian National Congress (INC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have nominated members from the tea garden working community to the Rajya Sabha on various occasions. But the AGP has never nominated a single candidate from our community. The tea garden community being the largest among all the communities in Upper Assam, the AGP must contemplate and consider my candidature,” he said.

Among the two Rajya Sabha seats, one seat is held by the AGP. Mr Bhengra is hopeful that the party will consider his application and nominate him from AGP. However many senior AGP leaders including Ramendra Narayan Kalita are also in the fray.