Assam Legislators Elect PM Singh to Rajya Sabha for Fifth Term

Legislators of Assam on Thursday elected Prime Minister of India Dr Manmohan Singh to Rajya Sabha for fifth consecutive term.

Ruling congress had won both seats of Rajya Sabha for the seats of Dr Manmohan Singh and Kumar Deepak Das of Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), whose term will be end on June 14.

Dr Singh has represented Assam to the upper house since 1991.

126-members of Assam legislative assembly had elected both congress candidates to Rajya Sabha.

Dr Singh, the first candidate of congress got 49 votes, while another ruling party candidate Santiuj Kujur, an adivasi leader got 45 votes.

Meanwhile, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) candidate Aminul Islam gained 18 votes who was the second candidate of the second seat.

The 14 legislators of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and AGP abstained in the election.

The returning officer of the Rajya Sabha poll Gauranga Prasad Das said the votes of all 78 Congress members and its ally Bodoland Peoples Front’s (BPF) 12 legislators were found to be valid.

In the victory of both seats in Rajya Sabha, the Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said that, it is a victory for the people of Assam.

Hemanta Kumar Nath is a correspondent in Assam, India, who reports on local news in Assam, the north east Indian state.