The BJP appears to have zeroed in on Ananta Maharaj, who heads a faction of the Greater Cooch Behar Peoples’ Association, as a Rajya Sabha candidate.
On Tuesday, junior home minister and Cooch Behar MP Nisith Pramanik met Ananta at the latter’s home in Borogila on the outskirts of Cooch Behar town.
“The BJP gave me a proposal to contest the Rajya Sabha. I assented to it,” Ananta said after the meeting.
Ananta said he needed the Centre’s help to fulfill the community's longstanding demand for a separate state or Union territory.
Pramanik dodged a reply when asked about Ananta's candidature. “Unless our party publishes the official list, we can’t say who will be the candidate. But definitely, we want people like Ananta Maharaj to be in Rajya Sabha...,” he said.
