Guwahati, June 7 (IANS) The BJP on Saturday announced that the party’s Assam state secretary Kanad Purkayastha would be its candidate for the June 19 Rajya Sabha election from the state.

BJP’s National General Secretary Arun Singh, in a statement, said the party’s central election committee has approved the candidature of Purkayastha, who is currently the party’s Assam state secretary. A party leader from southern Assam’s Barak valley said that Purkayastha is the only son of veteran BJP leader and former Union minister Kabindra Purkayastha.

Elections for two Rajya Sabha seats in Assam are scheduled on June 19, with counting of votes set to take place the same day. The last date for filling of nominations is June 9, and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is June 12.

The ruling BJP had earlier announced that it would field a candidate for one of the seats, leaving the other seat to its ally, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP).

The two Rajya Sabha seats from Assam would be vacated after the retirement of Mission Ranjan Das (BJP) and Birendra Prasad Baishya (AGP) on June 14.

Assam has seven Rajya Sabha seats. After Trinamool Congress’ Sushmita Dev, who was elected to the Upper House of Parliament from West Bengal, Purkayastha would be the second Rajya Sabha member from the Barak Valley. Hailing from Silchar, Dev, daughter of former Union Minister and late Congress leader Santosh Mohan Dev, was earlier elected to the Lok Sabha from Silchar parliamentary constituency.

Over four million people, mostly Bengali speaking, reside in the three districts of the Barak Valley region in Southern Assam — Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi.

Political observers said that despite the Barak Valley’s substantial population and political significance, no leader from this region, adjoining Tripura, has previously been elected to the Rajya Sabha on a BJP ticket.

Purkayastha’s nomination is an attempt to deal with this gap and aims to strengthen the BJP’s base among Bengali Hindus in Barak Valley. The Purkayastha family has been influential in Assam’s political circle as veteran leader Kabindra Purkayastha’s legacy and Kanad’s active participation in the BJP’s political activities contribute to the family’s persistent prominence in Assam politics.

–IANS

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