Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday filed nomination papers for the forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Assam. Singh is seeking nomination for a fifth consecutive term in the Upper House. Singh’s existing term will expire on June 14 next.
Accompanied by senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh, the Prime Minister arrived at the lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (lGBI) airport on Wednesday and headed straight to the Assembly to file his papers.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and other State Congress leaders were also present on the occasion.
Singh’s visit was, however, marked with protests from several quarters including student bodies and Opposition parties for his failure to address the problems of the State in the past few years.
Student bodies like the All Assam Students’ Union (Aasu) and Opposition party Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) hoisted black flags at several locations and held several other protests to expose the failure of the Prime Minister.
Singh also had to face protest from the mediapersons, who were not allowed to enter the Assembly premises to cover the event of his filing of nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha elections, which is scheduled for May 30.
The mediapersons, who had been waiting outside the Assembly since morning, shouted slogans against the Government’s move to keep them away from covering the event. The Prime Minister, however, later came towards the protesting journalists and thanked the people of Assam for continuously electing him to the Rajya Sabha for all these years. He had also assured that his effort would be to do all he could for the State’s development in the days to come - which is considered by many as a brief routine speech.
It may be mentioned that Singh has been representing Assam in the Upper House since 1991. Former Assam Chief Minister late Hiteswar Saikia offered him a Rajya Sabha seat from Assam after he became the Union Finance Minister. Saikia also made him a tenant in his house located at Sarumotoria locality in Guwahati. Singh’s address in his nomination papers still mentions his address as - ‘a resident of house Number 3989, Nandan Nagar, Village: Sarumotoria, Guwahati-781006’.
The current term of the two Rajya Sabha members representing Assam, Manmohan Singh and AGP’s Kumar Deepak Das ends on June 14.
Singh is bound to win comfortably this time also as the Congress and its allies occupy 94 berths in the 126-member Assembly.
According to official sources, May 20 is the last date for filing nominations. The scrutiny of nominations will be held the next day. Polls, if necessary, will be held on May 30.