Congress candidate seeks help from Assam CM to win Rajya Sabha election

On Guwahati : Recent visit of Chief minister to Congress suspended MLA of Roha Shasikanta’s rescidence has spark controversy in the opposition . Day after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has visited suspended Congress MLA Sashikanta’s residence at Roha opposition raised several questions during the assembly session yesterday.

Sarma announced that the Congress legislator will vote for a BJP-supported candidate in the RS polls. Even as the Assam PCC has been asserting that two of its MLAs — Sashikanta Das and Sherman Ali Ahmed — are bound to vote for the opposition’s candidate under a three-line whip to be issued, Sarma told the media that Das will vote either for the BJP nominee or supported candidate from the ruling alliance.

“I don’t know about Sherman Ali but Sashikanta Das has informed me that he is going to vote for us in the Rajya Sabha election. Sashikanta has already publicly announced that he is with the government,” said Sarma. Incidentally, he said in the RS election, a whip has no value.

“Basically the ballot paper has to be shown to the agent. But disqualification cannot be done based on whom the legislator votes in the Rajya Sabha election,” the chief minister added.

He also sought clarification on whether campaigning is permitted in Rajya Sabha elections and whether the elections to the Upper House fall under the "festival of democracy" criterion.