Will opposition from Assam draw blank in Rajya Sabha poll?

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: Will the opposition parties from Assam fail to secure a seat in the Rajya Sabha this time? Circles concerned in the state have been discussing the matter from all possible angles and equations.

Assam has seven Rajya Sabha seats; the ruling alliance in the state occupies six of these seats, while the united opposition holds only one. The United Opposition’s MP in the upper house is Ajit Kumar Bhuyan.

The terms of three Rajya Sabha MPs from Assam – Rameswar Teli (BJP), Bhubaneswar Kalita (BJP) and Ajit Kumar Bhuyan – are going to expire on April 9, 2026. In light of this, the Election Commission of India has already announced that the Rajya Sabha election in Assam will take place on March 16, 2026.

Only MLAs make up the electoral college for the Rajya Sabha, and the BJP-led alliance in the state is certain to win two of the three seats. If all the opposition parties in the state unite and fight the Rajya Sabha poll in unison, the opposition can contend for the third seat.

In the Lok Sabha poll in 2024, the Congress had not gone for an electoral understanding with the AIUDF. As of today, the chance for an understanding between the Congress and the AIUDF for the forthcoming Rajya Sabha poll is bleak. If the Congress can bring all other opposition parties, barring the AIUDF, it cannot win the third seat.

The BJP is also trying to take advantage of this scenario to grab the third seat. The state BJP has already sent its candidates’ panels to the party high command for two Rajya Sabha seats. The party is waiting and watching the opposition’s strategy for the third seat.

Also Read: Rajya Sabha Poll in Assam on March 16, 2026