GUWAHATI, March 3: The BJP has nominated Assam Cabinet minister Jogen Mohan and Duliajan MLA Terash Gowalla for two of the three vacant seats in the biennial Rajya Sabha elections to be held on March 16.
The elections are being held to fill the seats of three Rajya Sabha members from Assam – Ajit Kumar Bhuyan (Independent), Bhubaneswar Kalita (BJP) and Sarbananda Sonowal (BJP) – whose terms end next month.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, on Tuesday congratulated both Mohan (who is an MLA from Mahmora constituency) and Gowalla for securing the party’s nomination for the Rajya Sabha elections.
“Both these outstanding leaders – hailing from the grassroots- have a demonstrated track record of public service, and I am confident they will make valuable contributions to enriching our parliamentary processes,” Sarma said.
The chief minister said the MLAs have been invited to Guwahati to formally hand over the nomination letters on Wednesday. “We will file their nominations on March 5,” he said.
The chief minister however clarified that the BJP would neither contest nor oppose a candidate fielded by the UPPL for the third seat.
“UPPL has informed about the possibility of the party nominating a candidate for the Rajya Sabha election, even as the final decision has not been conveyed yet. The BJP cannot win the third seat as it does not have the numerical strength. So, we are okay if UPPL chief Pramod Boro decides to contest the third seat,” Sarma said.
Meanwhile, Sarma informed that Rajya Sabha MP Rameswar Teli would contest from Duliajan Assembly constituency in the state Assembly elections.
Confirming Teli’s candidature from the seat, the chief minister told mediapersons in Kaziranga that the MP would replace the incumbent MLA, Terash Gowalla in Duliajan and contest from the constituency.
He further hinted that another candidate would be fielded from Mahmora constituency, replacing the incumbent MLA, Mohan.
