Cooch Behar: Union min Nisith Pramanik meets Ananta Maharaj over RS MP candidature

Self-proclaimed Maharaj of Cooch Behar Anant Roy, popular as Ananta Maharaj has shown interest in becoming a Rajya Sabha MP nominated by the

BJP party. On Monday, Union Minister of State for Home and BJP leader Nisith Pramanik visited Anant Roy's house. They discussed the matter. The meeting comes on the heels of TMC declaring Prakash Chik Baraik from Alipurduar as their Rajya Sabha candidate. Incidentally, Ananta Maharaj alias Anant Roy is also the supreme leader of the Greater Cooch Behar People’s Association. He exercises considerable sway over Koch-Rajbongshi voters in the districts of North Bengal and even lower Assam. This could be seen in the elections of 2019 and 2021. In February 2021 even Union Home minister Amit Shah visited Maharaj’s house in Assam. He is a proponent of the Greater Cooch Behar separate state or a Union Territory comprising districts of North Bengal. At times Ananata Maharaj has been seen campaigning for the BJP. At present there are talks doing the rounds that Maharaj has been offered a Rajya Sabha seat by the BJP.

The meeting between the Union minister of state and Anant Roy on Tuesday created a buzz in the political circles. At the same time, Anant Roy himself has expressed his interest. Union minister of State for Home Affairs Nisith Pramanik visited Anant Roy's house in the Kaljani Baragila area of Cooch Behar around 4

pm on Tuesday. They spoke for a while. Nisith Pramanik said that he also wants Anant Roy to become a Rajya Sabha MP for the sake of the “greater good of

North Bengal.” However, he said that he does not want to say anything about it right now, and that

everything will be known when the list comes from the BJP in Delhi. BJP Central leaders will take the final call.

Anant Roy said that the BJP has given him the proposal and that he has agreed to it as Delhi can fulfil the aspirations of the Rajbongshis. Trinamool Congress spokesperson Parthapratim Roy said: "It has become clear that Anant Roy is a BJP person. He was just trying to fool our team in the middle. However, will he raise the issue of his demand for a separate state in the Parliament? The Trinamool Congress has always been against separate states. Trinamool Congress will be against the partition of Bengal in future as well.”