Congress may not renominate Manmohan Singh to Rajya Sabha from Assam

India वोट Kar | April 27, 2019

Congress may not select Manmohan Singh for another term in RS from Assam

With the Lok Sabha election under way, lobbying has begun within Assam’s ruling alliance for two Rajya Sabha seats that will fall vacant on June 14. The seats are held by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Santiuse Kujur, whose six-year terms end in mid-June. Congress insiders said the party had decided not to field Singh for a seat he was almost certain to lose.

The numbers

A candidate needs 43 votes to win one Rajya Sabha seat from Assam, and 86 votes are needed for both. The ruling alliance has 88 members: 61 from the BJP, 14 from the AGP and 12 from the BPF, besides independent MLA Bhuban Pegu. The Congress has 25 MLAs and the AIUDF 13.

On present strength, the BJP-led alliance has enough votes to take both seats from the Congress.

Alliance arrangements

When the AGP returned to the BJP-led alliance before the Lok Sabha election, the BJP promised it one of the two Rajya Sabha seats falling vacant in June. Sources indicated that one seat may go to an ally, and that the central BJP leadership would decide on its candidate only after the poll dates are notified.

Election schedule

M.K. Deka, principal secretary of the Assam Assembly secretariat, told reporters that the two members’ terms would end on June 14 and that a notification from the Election Commission could come soon. The election must be completed before the terms expire.

Because the arithmetic favours the ruling alliance, it had been unclear whether the Congress would again put forward Manmohan Singh from Assam for the Upper House.

Originally published on 27 April 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.