GUWAHATI, Aug 21: BJP Rajya Sabha candidates Mission Ranjan Das and Rameshwar Teli on Wednesday filed their nomination papers for the two seats which became vacant in Assam following the recent Lok Sabha polls.
Das and Teli filed their papers in the Assembly on the last day of filing nominations in the presence of Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his cabinet colleagues, BJP state president Bhabesh Kalita and party MLAs.
Elections to the two seats were necessitated with Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Kamakhya Prasad Tasa getting elected to the Lok Sabha from Dibrugarh and Kaziranga parliamentary constituencies, respectively.
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Das, a veteran BJP politician, has been a four-time party MLA from Karimganj (North) constituency in 1991, 2000, 2001 and 2006 and is currently the chairman of Assam State Transport Corporation.
Teli, a prominent face of the tea-tribe community, was the Union minister of State of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Labour and Employment in the second Modi ministry since 2021.
He was first elected to Dibrugarh Lok Sabha constituency in 2014 but was replaced in 2024 by Sonowal.
The state BJP had sent a list of 10 names to the central parliamentary committee for final selection.
After filing the papers, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told reporters that both the BJP candidates will win the Rajya Sabha seats.
“Teli is a prominent face of the tea tribe community and had also served as a Union minister in the last term whereas Das is a senior BJP leader”, Sarma said.
Moreover, Das will be the first member in the Upper House from Karimganj district, he added.
“I am certain they will be excellent and inspiring Rajya Sabha members”, he added.
Sonowal also extended his best wishes to the two candidates.
Bypolls for the two Rajya Sabha seats are scheduled to be held on September 3.
Assam has seven seats in the Rajya Sabha, with six currently held by the BJP-led ruling alliance – the saffron party having four seats while its allies AGP and UPPL hold one each – and another is represented by an independent MP. (PTI)
