Assam’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday bagged two Rajya Sabha seats without contesting the elections. Monday was the last date for withdrawal of nominations, while only two candidates from BJP were in the fray for the Rajya Sabha by-elections to be held in the state. Therefore, both those BJP candidates were elected unopposed. Among the two leaders who have been elected as Rajya Sabha MPs, one is Rameshwar Teli, while the other name is Mission Ranjan Das.
Both these leaders had filed their nominations last week. After the deadline for withdrawal of nominations ended on Monday, Returning Officer Rajib Bhattacharya gave them certificates of being elected unopposed.
“Since they were the only two candidates left in the fray on the last day of withdrawal of nominations, both Teli and Das were declared elected unopposed and were handed over certificates,” Bhattacharya said. The last date for withdrawal of nominations for the election to 12 Rajya Sabha seats from nine states, to be held on September 3, was August 26 (Monday). Teli, a former Union minister, and Das, a four-time MLA from North Karimganj, had filed their nominations on August 21.
Both the Rajya Sabha seats of the state fell vacant after former Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal won the Lok Sabha elections from Dibrugarh seat and Kamakhya Prasad Tasa from Kaziranga seat. Earlier also, both the seats were held by BJP MPs, and now both the seats have gone to the BJP’s account.
