Guwahati, June 7 -- The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday officially announced Kanad Purkayastha, the party's Assam state secretary, as its candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from the state.

The party's central election committee approved Purkayastha's candidature for the polls scheduled for June 19, with vote counting also taking place on the same day.

Kanad Purkayastha, a prominent party leader from the Barak Valley, is the son of veteran BJP leader and former Union minister Kabindra Purkayastha, indicating a strong political lineage.

Notably, Assam will see elections for two Rajya Sabha seats. The BJP had previously declared its intention to field a candidate for one seat, while allocating the other to its key a...