GUWAHATI, March 13 ? All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) adviser, UG Brahma will be fielded as common candidate of Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Bodoland Legislature Party (BDLP) and Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC) for Rajya Sabha election. At a meeting held today, the AGP, BJP, BDLP and ASDC leaders selected the ABSU leader as a consensus candidate to fight the Rajya Sabha election which will be held to three seats from the State.
Meanwhile, the ruling Congress party which enjoys support of 75 MLAs including four NCP MLAs, will field Dwijen Sharma and Karnendu Bhattacharjee as party candidates for Rajya Sabha election. Barak Valley Congress leader Karnendu Bhattacharjee, the sitting Rajya Sabha MP, has been nominated by the party to contest the RS election for the second consecutive time. Selection of Dwijen Sharma as the Congress candidate has come as a surprise to many Congress leaders as he was preferred over many party stalwarts including Silvious Condpan, Anowara Taimur and Biren Singh Ingti. Sri Sharma had failed to get elected to Assam Assembly on two occasions in the past in 1985 and 1991 from Jalukbari Legislative Assembly constituency. In 1985 he contested Assembly polls as a Congress candidate while in 1991 he contested as an independent candidate.
All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) president, Rabiram Narzary today appreciated AGP, BJP and ASDC for selecting the students body adviser as their common candidate for Rajya Sabha election. He said the gesture would go a long way in strengthening the social fabric in the State, particularly in Bodo areas. Sources in the AGP informed that the leadership had ignored requests of many party ?bigwigs? before finally agreeing to field UG Brahma as a consensus candidate. Elections, if required, would be held to three RS seats from the State. The candidates are required to file nomination papers latest by tomorrow.