Rajya Sabha polls: BJP fields Phangnon Konyak for lone Nagaland seat; names candidates for Assam, Tripura, Himachal

New Delhi [India], March 18 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday announced that it has fielded Nagaland state Mahila Morcha President S Phangnon Konyak to contest the Rajya Sabha seat in Nagaland.
Konyak, the incumbent president of women's wing of the party's state unit in Nagaland is the first BJP woman MP from the state.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman congratulated Konyak on her nomination in polls that are scheduled to be held on March 31. Elections to four Rajya Sabha seats in three Northeastern states - two seats in Assam and one each in Tripura and Nagaland will be held on March 31, the Election Commission had announced earlier this month.
"Glad to know Phangnon is selected by BJP as a candidate for the biennial election to the Rajya Sabha. Currently, she is the president, of state Mahila Morcha, Wishing the very best to Smt. Phangnon Konyak, " Sitharaman tweeted.
The BJP has also nominated youth leader and Assam BJP spokesperson Pabitra Margherita as the party's candidate for one of two Rajya Sabha seats from Assam.
An Ahom from Upper Assam, Margarita is the member secretary of the State Level Advisory Committee (SLAC) for Student and Youth Welfare of the Assam Government.
The Rajya Sabha elections will be held in Assam to fill up two seats that will fall vacant after the terms of MPs, Ranee Narah and Ripun Bora, come to an end on April 2 this year.
The BJP high command has also approved the name of Dr Manik Saha to contest the Rajya Sabha seats in Tripura, party's National General Secretary Arun Singh said today.
Tripura BJP president Saha, a dentist by profession succeeded CM Biplab Kumar Deb as the president of Tripura Pradesh Unit in the year 2020.
Vice-Chancellor of Himachal Pradesh University Sikandra Kumar has been nominated from Himachal Pradesh.
Meanwhile, Agnimitra Paul and Keya Ghosh will be BJP candidates for Lok Sabha by-election from Asansol and Assembly by-election from Ballygunge, respectively, the BJP National Secretary said.
Also, Beby Kumari (Bochahan) and SN Kadam (Kolhapur North) will be the party's candidates from Bihar and Maharashtra Assembly by-polls, respectively, he stated.
Earlier this month the apex poll body had announced polls to fill 13 Rajya Sabha seats across six states falling vacant in April. These include Assam (two seats), Himachal (one seat), Nagaland (one seat), Tripura (one seat) and Kerala (three seats). Apart from this five seats from Punjab are also falling vacant with five members from the state retiring on April 9.
Scrutiny of nominations will take place on March 22. The last date for withdrawal of candidatures has been scheduled on March 24. The counting of votes of the poll scheduled on March 31 will take place on the day of polling from 5 pm onwards.