BJP picks Sarbananda Sonowal, L Murugan for RS bypolls in Assam, Madhya Pradesh

Sonowal, a former Assam Chief Minister, and Murugan, a former Tamil Nadu BJP chief, were inducted into the Council of Ministers in July

The BJP on Saturday fielded Union Ministers Sarbananda Sonowal and L Murugan as its candidates for the October 4 Rajya Sabha bypolls in Assam and Madhya Pradesh respectively.

Sonowal, a former Assam Chief Minister, and Murugan, a former Tamil Nadu BJP chief, were inducted into the Council of Ministers by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July.

The Rajya Sabha seat in Assam fell vacant after the resignation of Biswajit Daimary, who won the state polls in May and was elected as the Speaker of the Assam Assembly. Daimary was re-elected to the Rajya Sabha in February this year and quit in May after being elected as an MLA.

Sonowal, whose election to the upper house is all but certain, will enjoy a tenure of five years and four months in the Rajya Sabha.

In Madhya Pradesh, the Rajya Sabha seat fell following the appointment of the then Union minister Thaawarchand Gehlot as the Governor of Karnataka.

Murugan will have a shorter term in the Upper House as Gehlot was re-elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2018 and the seat has a residual tenure of less than three years.

Sonowal, a Union Cabinet Minister, holds the portfolios of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, and AYUSH, while Murugan is the Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting.

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