Staff Reporter, Guwahati: The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) has officially named senior leader and sitting Rajya Sabha MP Birendra Prasad Baishya as its candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Assam. Baishya’s current term in the Upper House is set to conclude on June 14, and the party has opted to renominate him for another tenure. The announcement comes after the Election Commission of India (ECI) earlier this week declared the schedule for biennial elections to eight Rajya Sabha seats—six from Tamil Nadu and two from Assam. Voting is slated for June 19, from 9 AM to 4 PM, with counting of votes scheduled the same day. Baishya, a veteran politician, has been a prominent face of AGP in Delhi and has played a key role in voicing Assam's regional issues at the national level. The decision to renominate him reflects the party's confidence in his parliamentary performance and stature within the alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). On Saturday, the BJP also announced its candidate for the other vacant seat in Assam, naming Kanad Purkayastha, son of late Union Minister and Assam BJP co-founder Kabindra Purkayastha. Kanad’s nomination is seen as an effort to carry forward his father’s legacy within the party and state politics. The two Rajya Sabha members from Assam set to retire—Mission Ranjan Das (BJP) and Birendra Prasad Baishya (AGP)—are both veteran leaders with long-standing careers in public service. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu is also gearing up for its Rajya Sabha elections, where high-profile figures such as Kamal Haasan of Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) have entered the fray. Haasan filed his nomination in the presence of Chief Minister MK Stalin, triggering sharp criticism from BJP leader H Raja, who accused Haasan of “mortgaging” his party to the DMK for a seat in the Upper House. With the political temperature rising ahead of the June 19 elections, all eyes are now on the final outcomes and the balance of power they may influence in the Rajya Sabha.
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