In a significant development for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Assam, two candidates have been elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from the state. Kanad Purkayastha of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Birendra Prasad Baishya of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) have been declared elected without contest, officials confirmed on Friday.
Opposition fields no candidates
According to officials, no opposition parties filed nominations for the Rajya Sabha elections. The last date for filing nominations was Thursday. “Kanad Purkayastha from BJP and Birendra Prasad Baishya from AGP have been declared elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha as no opposing candidate was nominated,” the official stated.
Kanad Purkayastha to become Rajya Sabha member for the first time
The elections for two Rajya Sabha seats, originally scheduled for June 19, were rendered unnecessary due to the unopposed elections. Kanad Purkayastha will be a Rajya Sabha member for the first time. He is the son of Kabindra Purkayastha, a senior BJP leader and former Union Minister, and hails from Silchar. Currently, Kanad serves as the secretary of the BJP’s Assam unit.
Birendra Prasad Baishya, a senior leader of the AGP and former Union Minister, is entering the Rajya Sabha for the third time. Baishya has also served as a Lok Sabha member in the past.
Rajya Sabha seats in Assam
The elections were necessitated as the terms of Birendra Prasad Baishya and BJP’s Ranjan Das were due to end on June 14. Assam has a total of seven Rajya Sabha seats. Currently, BJP holds four seats, while its allies AGP and United People's Party Liberal (UPPL) hold one seat each. One seat is held by an independent member.
This uncontested win strengthens the NDA’s position in Assam’s Rajya Sabha representation as the alliance moves forward in the upcoming parliamentary sessions.