GUWAHATI, Sept 21: Former Assam chief minister and incumbent Union ports, shipping and waterways minister, Sarbananda Sonowal filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha seat on Tuesday.
Members of the ruling party, and alliance partners, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL), were present at the time of filing of his nomination on the premises of the Assam Assembly here.
Sonowal is expected to win the election uncontested as the Opposition parties have not named any candidate for the polls to be held on October 4.
The 59-year-old BJP leader was elected to the Assembly from Majuli for the second consecutive term in May this year and subsequently inducted into the Cabinet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July.
The BJP-led ruling coalition has an effective strength of 73 MLAs in the 126-member Assam Assembly.
The Rajya Sabha seat had fallen vacant following the election of the sitting MP Biswajit Daimary to the Assam Assembly. Daimary is currently the Speaker of the Assembly.
Voting and counting of votes will be undertaken on October 4 in accordance with the schedule announced by the Election Commission.
“We’ve immensely gained from the vision and leadership of Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. I accompanied him for filing of his nomination for the Rajya Sabha seat. He is a unanimous candidate of BJP, AGP and UPPL,” Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
“As a minister in the Union Cabinet and from the floor of the Parliament, we are hopeful that he can contribute to the development of Assam and Northeast,” Sarma said.
