BJP’s Kanad Purkayastha and AGP’s Birendra Prasad Baishya have been elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha 2024 from Assam. With no opposition candidates, both NDA leaders secured seats, marking Purkayastha’s debut and Baishya’s third term.
Two candidates from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) – Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kanad Purkayastha and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) stalwart Birendra Prasad Baishya – have been elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha. The announcement was made on Thursday, marking the conclusion of the nomination period, and officially confirmed by an election official on Friday.
The election to the Upper House of Parliament was originally scheduled for June 19. However, with no opposition parties fielding candidates, the process concluded early and without contest.
This election marks the Rajya Sabha debut of Kanad Purkayastha, who is currently serving as the BJP’s state secretary in Assam. He hails from Silchar in the Barak Valley region and is the son of the late Kabindra Purkayastha, a prominent BJP leader and former Union Minister. The Purkayastha family holds a legacy of political influence in Assam, and Kanad’s elevation is seen as a continuation of this legacy. Political analysts suggest that his nomination serves a dual purpose: not only to recognize his lineage and political work, but also to strengthen BJP’s base among Bengali Hindus in Southern Assam, especially in the Barak Valley.
Kanad Purkayastha becomes only the second politician from the Barak Valley in recent times to be elected to the Rajya Sabha, following Trinamool Congress leader Sushmita Dev, who represents West Bengal. Sushmita Dev, also from Silchar, is the daughter of the late Santosh Mohan Dev, a senior Congress leader and former Union Minister. This region, which includes the districts of Cachar, Karimganj, and Hailakandi, is home to over four million people, predominantly Bengali-speaking. Despite its demographic and political significance, the Barak Valley has seen limited representation in the Upper House over the years.
The only other notable BJP representation from the region was by Mission Ranjan Das, a former four-time MLA, who served a brief tenure in the Rajya Sabha. Observers believe that Kanad Purkayastha’s election aims to correct this historical underrepresentation and bolster the BJP’s influence in the linguistically and culturally distinct southern part of the state.
Joining Purkayastha in the Rajya Sabha is Birendra Prasad Baishya, a senior leader of the AGP and a seasoned politician. This will be Baishya’s third term in the Rajya Sabha, having previously served in both Houses of Parliament. A former Union Minister, Baishya’s re-election reflects the continued alliance strength between the BJP and AGP under the NDA umbrella.
These vacancies in the Rajya Sabha emerged as the terms of both Baishya and BJP’s Mission Ranjan Das are set to expire on June 14. Assam has a total of seven seats in the Rajya Sabha. The current distribution sees the BJP holding four seats, AGP and United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) holding one each, and the remaining seat with an Independent member.
The unopposed elections underline the BJP-led NDA’s dominance in Assam’s political landscape, further consolidated by the absence of a challenge from the Congress or other opposition parties. Analysts say this reflects both the NDA’s organizational strength and the disarray among opposition forces in the state.
The entry of Kanad Purkayastha not only adds a fresh face to the BJP’s representation in Parliament but also sends a political signal that the party is paying closer attention to regional representation and identity politics. The move is likely to boost BJP’s reach in the culturally distinct Barak Valley, which has often felt marginalized in the state’s mainstream political discourse.
As Assam prepares for future electoral battles, the NDA’s current unity and strategic candidate placement may continue to shape the state’s political trajectory.
