Vacant Rajya Sabha Assam Seat to Open Doors For Ex-CM Sarbananda Sonowal?

Rajya Sabha’s seat occupied by BJP leader Biswajit Daimary stands vacant effective May 10 after his resignation was accepted by the chairman of Upper House.

Daimary has resigned from the Rajya Sabha on two occasions within the past year. Earlier on November 21, 2020, he resigned as a Member of Parliament from BPF, and then in February 2021, he was elected to the Upper house as a BJP member and now he resigned again.

Just ahead of the Bodoland Territorial Council election that was held in December last year, Daimary shifted from Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) to BJP. National Democratic Alliance (NDA) further snapped its ties with BPF and went to contest the election with its new ally UPPL.

Daimary was once claimed to be the backbone of the Hangrama-led movement and is also said to be close to the incumbent chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Sources said that it was under Sarma’s guidance that Biswajit resigned from BPF and joined BJP. Reportedly, Daimary’s name does not feature in the list of ministers in the Himanta cabinet but sources also indicate that he is the front-runner to become the Assembly Speaker.

Sources told CNN News18 that the central BJP has advised the Assam unit to seek the resignation of Biswajit from the Upper house a couple of days ago and the party is all likely to give this vacant seat to the former chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

In the 2021 assembly polls, Sonowal won the seat from Majuli and he was the CM in the BJP-led government from 2016 to 2020.

However, sources added that in a few days Sonowal will head back to New Delhi to occupy a central ministerial post and he is likely to be given a Cabinet berth portfolio with the central cabinet reshuffle looming large in the coming weeks.

Sonowal is also said to be close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and in 2014 he was a minister with independent charge as Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs. In 2016 just ahead of the Assam assembly polls BJP named him as their chief ministerial face and made him contest assembly elections from Majuli.

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