GUWAHATI, March 12 - The political equation for election to the three Rajya Sabha seats in the State took a new turn on Thursday with journalist Atanu Bhuyan collecting his nomination paper from the official concerned at Dispur.
On behalf of Bhuyan, another journalist working in a local electronic media house collected the nomination paper.
Atanu Bhuyan is the second journalist of the State who is going to contest in the ensuing Rajya Sabha election. Already journalist Ajit Kumar Bhuyan, who has been playing an active role in the anti-CAA movement in Assam, collected the nomination paper.
According to media reports, both the Congress and AIUDF will jointly back Ajit Kumar Bhuyan in this election.
On the other hand, the ruling BJP has already shared one seat with alliance partner BPF for which Biswajit Daimari has offered his candidature. In another post, former MP Bhubaneswar Kalita will be the candidate for the ruling party.
Talking to The Assam Tribune after collecting the nomination paper, Atanu Bhuyan said, �Yes, I have collected a nomination paper for the Rajya Sabha election. But I am yet to take the decision whether I will contest or not, and from which party I will seek support. On Friday, I will take all the decisions.�
Reacting to the current development, Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said if Atanu Bhuyan was able to gather the required number of signatures from MLAs, which is mandatory to file a nomination paper in Rajya Sabha election, then the BJP would extend its support to him.
�Under no circumstances will the BJP MLAs ever vote for the AIUDF candidate,� he asserted, adding that the BJP had no plans to offer candidature for the third seat of Rajya Sabha from Assam.
In another development, Sarma today announced that very soon one important Congress MLA would join the BJP and for this all necessary discussions were under way.
At the same time, State BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass said, �As the president of Assam state BJP, I am yet to think about the third seat of Rajya Sabha. I am not aware if anyone of the party has any plans about it.�
