Assam Cong forms 7-member panel for RS polls

Guwahati, Jan 25: The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has constituted a seven-member committee to discuss and finalise candidates for the ensuing Rajya Sabha elections.

The committee will be led by Assam Congress Legislature Party (ACLP) leader Debabrata Saikia as chairman and deputy ACLP leader Rakibul Hussain as vice-chairman, an order issued by APCC on Tuesday, said.

Besides, Wazed Ali Choudhury, MLA and chief whip, Assam CLP; Bharat Chandra Narah, MLA and former minister; Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha, MLA and working president, APCC and Jakir Hussain Sikdar, MLA and working president, APCC will be its members, while Rana Goswami, working president, APCC will be its convener.

“The committee will discuss with all anti-BJP MLAs and submit a report in regard to selection of candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections. Our party will also give its recommendations and discuss the same with such MLAs from other parties,” Assam PCC president Bhupen Kumar Borah informed reporters.

The Assam PCC president further said that all the anti-BJP MLAs would have to be taken into confidence during the course of deliberations in regard to the selection of candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections.

“The decisions taken in the first round of the committee’s meeting would be intimated to the party High Command in Delhi in due course of time. The final report would be submitted at the time of announcement of the election date,” he said.

Two seats of Rajya Sabha in Assam will fall vacant once the terms of Congress MPs, Ranee Narah and Ripun Bora, are completed on April 22, 2022.