BJP names Ananta Maharaj as party's Rajya Sabha candidate from West Bengal

New Delhi, July 12

The BJP has named Ananta Maharaj, who heads a faction of the Greater Cooch Behar Peoples’ Association, as its Rajya Sabha candidate from West Bengal.

On Tuesday, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs and Cooch Behar MP Nisith Pramanik met Ananta Maharaj at the latter’s home in Borogila on the outskirts of Cooch Behar town.

The Greater Cooch Behar People’s Association has been demanding for long a separate state or union territory for people belonging to the Koch-Rajbanshi community.

With 70 MLAs in the 294-member strong West Bengal House, BJP is in a position to send a candidate to the Rajya Sabha from West Bengal for the first time in many decades.

Seven seats from West Bengal will fall vacant in the Rajya Sabha next month including one for a truncated tenure of less than three years.

Six of these are expected to be won by the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).

TMC has already announced fielding sitting MPs Derek ‘OBrien, Dola Sen and Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and freshers Samurul Islam,

Prakash Chik Baraik and Saket Gokhale for filling up the six vacancies.