No opposition candidate file for nomination till the last day of nomination withdrawal
GUWAHATI, Aug 26: BJP candidates- Rameswar Teli and Mission Ranjan Das won Rajya Sabha seats unopposed from Assam.
The election to the two RS seats was slated on September 3. Monday was the last day of withdrawal of nomination and no opposition candidate filed their nomination, leading to a situation where the ruling party’s candidate won the seat uncontested.
The absence of an opposition candidate typically indicates a clear path for the ruling party’s nominee to secure the position without needing a vote.
“Since they were the only two candidates on the last day of withdrawal of nominations, both Teli and Das have been declared as winners without any contest and handed their certificates,” Returning Officer Rajib Bhattacharjya, whi handed over the certificate of winning, said.
Former Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Rameswar Teli, and four-time BJP MLA from Karimganj (North Mission Ranjan Das filed their nominations on August 21.
The election to the two Rajya Sabha seats was necessitated due to the election of Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa to the Lok Sabha in the recently concluded elections.
Sonowal contested from Dibrugarh and defeated Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) president Lurinjyoti Gogoi, who was the consensus candidate from the United Opposition Forum Assam (IoFA), by a margin of 2,79,321 votes.
Tasa contested the Kaziranga (earlier known as Kaliabar) seat and won over his nearest rival Congress candidate Roselina Tirkey by 248,947 votes.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote: “Congratulations to @BJP4Assam candidates, Mission Ranjan Das and Rameswar Teli on being elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Assam. My gratitude to our legislators and valued NDA partners for their unequivocal support to their candidature.”
“I am confident that both the veteran leaders will represent the aspirations of the tea tribes community and Barak Valley with renewed vigour in the Upper House,” Sarma added.
