Assam's three Rajya Sabha seats are set to be filled without a contest, after Cabinet Minister Jogen Mohan, Duliajan MLA Terash Gowalla, and UPPL chief Pramod Boro filed their nomination papers on Thursday — the last date for doing so — with no opposition candidate entering the fray.
The nominations were filed before the returning officer at around noon, in the presence of Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Minister of State Pabitra Margherita, several state cabinet ministers, BJP State President Dilip Saikia, and leaders of the BJP, AGP, and UPPL.
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After filing his papers, Jogen Mohan expressed gratitude to the BJP's national leadership — including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma — for giving him the Rajya Sabha candidature.
"I will make every effort to bring the issues facing Assam to the attention of the House," Mohan told reporters. Reflecting on his decade as an MLA and minister, he added: "I apologize to the people if I couldn't achieve certain things."
Duliajan MLA Terash Gowalla made his entrance in characteristic fashion — arriving at the nomination office on a bicycle, a gesture that drew widespread attention.
"Assam and the Assamese will always come first for me while raising any issue in the Rajya Sabha," Gowalla said after filing his papers.
UPPL president and former BTC Chief Executive Member Pramod Boro filed for the third Rajya Sabha seat, thanking the UPPL leadership for the candidature and noting that Chief Minister Sarma had already publicly announced that the BJP would not oppose his nomination.
In a notable development, Boro's nomination papers were signed by three MLAs of the AIUDF — Karim Uddin Barbhuiya, Zakir Hussain Laskar, and Nizam Uddin Choudhury — among the ten MLA signatures mandatory for a Rajya Sabha nomination.
With only three candidates filing papers for three vacating seats, all three will be elected unopposed to the Upper House of Parliament.
As per the election schedule, scrutiny of nominations will take place on March 6. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is March 9, and the result will be formally declared after 3 pm on that day.