New Delhi [India], June 7 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday announced Kanad Purkayastha will contest from Assam for the upcoming Rajya Sabha election, which is to be held on June 19 (Thursday).

Earlier, Sarbananda Sonowal and Kamakhya Prasad Tasa were elected to the Rajya Sabha from Assam, and after winning in the Lok Sabha polls, two Rajya Sabha seats from Assam were vacated by them. Election to vacant RS seats will be held between 9 am and 4 pm on September 3.

The Election Commission of India has announced biennial polls for Rajya Sabha seats in Assam and Tamil Nadu on June 19.

Earlier, from Tamil Nadu, actor Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) President Kamal Hasan filed his nomination for Rajya Sabha in the presence of Chief Minister MK Stalin.

Earlier, BJP leader H Raja took a dig at Kamal Hasan, saying that the actor 'mortaged election symbol to DMK for an RS seat.

'Everyone knows what Kamal Haasan did in the past. He opposed the DMK's freebies and corrupt rule. He even said he would never form an alliance with the DMK. Now, out of embarrassment, he has mortgaged his torchlight election symbol to the DMK in exchange for a Rajya Sabha seat. It is a waste of time to talk about him,' Raja said on Friday.

BJP's Kanad Purkayastha is the party's secretary in Assam, and the son of former Union Minister Kabrindra Purkayastha, who served as the minister of state for communication under the PM Atal Bihar Vajpayee cabinet.

Earlier on May 26, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the date for conducting elections for the 8 seats in Rajya Sabha, which will be vacated as the members retire.

The two RS members from Assam, Mission Ranjan Das (BJP) and Birendra Prasad Baishya (Asom Gana Parishad) are set to retire on June 14.

In Tamil Nadu, Anbumani Ramadoss (Pattali Makkal Katchi), M Shanmugam (DMK), N Chandrasegharan (AIADMK), M Mohamed Abdulla (DMK), P Wilson (DMK), and Vaiko (MDMK) are set to retire July 24.

The elections for the RS seats will be held on June 19, between 9 AM and 4 PM, with the counting of votes to happen on the same day, according to ECI. (ANI)