Rani, Ripun polish Congress RS poll list, Assam ,Assam rajya sabha Election, Assam PCC, Tarun Gogoi, Anjan Dutta,Assam RS seats,Assam RS Polls

Rani, Ripun polish Congress RS poll list, Assam,Assam rajya sabha Election, Assam PCC, Tarun Gogoi, Anjan Dutta,Assam RS seats,Assam RS Polls

Guwahati, March 11: The ruling Congress in Assam today fielded former MP Rani Narah and former state minister Ripun Bora as its candidates for the March 21 Rajya Sabha election.

Both Narah and Bora filed their nominations before the principal secretary of Assam Assembly, Mrigendra Kumar Deka, at the Assembly secretariat here in the presence of chief minister Tarun Gogoi and Assam PCC chief Anjan Dutta. Two RS seats will fall vacant next month.

Elections to the Rajya Sabha has been necessitated following the scheduled retirement of Congress members Naznin Faruque and Pankaj Bora on April 2.There are six seats from Assam in the Rajya Sabha, of which the Congress has five and the Bodoland Peoples' Front one.

Gogoi said he had full faith that both Bora and Narah would be able to make impressive performances in the Rajya Sabha because of their oratory skills and proactive nature. Sources said Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had directly intervened in the selection.

"Since the Modi government has been facing stiff opposition and protest in the Rajya Sabha on all important issues of the country because the Congress has a majority in the Upper House, Rahul wants to continue the trend. For this he wants some new aggressive Congress MPs in the Rajya Sabha and found Bora and Narah suitable," a source said.

Bora, at present the vice-president of Assam PCC, was previously education minister in the Tarun Gogoi cabinet while Narah was a Union minister in the previous UPA government.

Bora, before joining politics, was a lecturer of economics in Chaiduar College, Gohpur, in Sonitpur district (1979-1984) and then served the state as Assam civil service officer (1984-1996). As a Congressman, he has been very vocal on the party's stand on all important issues.

 Narah who was active in sports and represented Assam in volleyball, cricket and other sports, began her political career with the Congress in 1995. She became the general-secretary, vice-president and the president of the Assam Pradesh Youth Congress in rapid succession. A three-time MP from Lakhimpur constituency, she was appointed the Congress's deputy chief whip in 2009.

Bora said he would leave no stone unturned to fulfil the party high command's expectations of playing an active parliamentarian. Narah said this was another big responsibility for her.

Dutta claimed that both the candidates would sail through as the Congress enjoys an absolute majority in the Assembly.

"At present, the Congress has the support of 82 MLAs and will win both seats," he asserted.

As things stand today, a candidate will need 39 votes to sail through. The Congress, which has 68 MLAs after the resignation/disqualification of10 dissidents last year and with two AIUDF MLAs joining this week, enjoys a huge advantage. Dutta refused to disclose the names of the 12 other MLAs whose support he claimed the party enjoys.

The AIUDF today said it would not participate in the Rajya Sabha election since the Congress did not keep its request of nominating Abdul Muhib Mazumdar as the consensus candidate of the Opposition and ruling parties.

Businessman Mahabir Jain also filed his nomination as an Independent candidate for the election this afternoon.

Today was the last date for filing nominations for the polls. Scrutiny will be held tomorrow, March 14 is the date for withdrawal and polling will be held on March 21.

src:telegraphindia

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