The outcome of the Lok Sabha election on May 23 may decide whether or not the Asom Gana Parishad, one of two regional allies of the ruling BJP, can send a candidate to the Rajya Sabha. Two of Assam’s seven Rajya Sabha seats will become vacant after the six-year tenure of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Santiuse Kujur — both from Congress — ends on June 14. ‘Pre-poll pact’“We had a pre-Lok Sabha poll agreement that the BJP would give us an RS seat for supporting them in 10 Lok Sabha seats. The BPF already has a Rajya Sabha Member in Biswajit Daimary. But party leaders said they could angle for a third seat if Bhubaneswar Kalita, a member of the Rajya Sabha, wins the Mangaldoi Lok Sabha seat and quits the Upper House.

Source: The Hindu May 16, 2019 20:09 UTC