Bhubaneswar, Mar 5 (PTI) Two Rajya Sabha candidates of the BJD in Odisha – senior leader Santrupt Misra and noted urologist Datteswar Hota – filed their nominations in the assembly secretariat here on Thursday.
Misra and Hota filed their nomination papers in the presence of BJD president and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) chief Bhakta Charan Das, CPI(M) state secretary Suresh Panigrahy, among others.
“I am very glad to announce that our two candidates have filed their nominations for Rajya Sabha elections. I congratulate both of them. I am sure they will succeed,” Patnaik told reporters.
Earlier, Patnaik had appealed to all the parties to support Hota as a “common candidate”.
The BJP had announced its Odisha unit president Manmohan Samal and sitting Rajya Sabha MP Sujeet Kumar as candidates, while backing Dilip Ray as an independent nominee.
The Congress’ likely support to BJD’s “common candidate” is being seen as politically significant in Odisha. The BJD had ousted the Congress from power 26 years ago and the two parties have long been rivals.
Both sides have now come together to prevent the BJP from winning three of the four Rajya Sabha seats falling vacant from the state.
According to the tally in the 147-member assembly, the BJD is certain of one seat, while the ruling BJP is sure about two seats. Neither party has the required 30 first-preference votes for the fourth seat.
The ruling BJP has 79 MLAs and the support of three Independents, totalling 82, which is eight short of the number required for electing three MPs.
The opposition BJD has 48 MLAs, after two of its members were suspended last month. After electing one MP, it will have 18 first-preference votes but will require another 12 to bag the second seat.
The Congress has 14 MLAs, and the CPI(M) has one.
The Rajya Sabha elections will be held as the tenures of BJD’s Niranjan Bishi and Munna Khan, and BJP’s Sujeet Kumar and Mamata Mohanta would end on April 2. PTI AAM RBT
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